


Pridecember Collection

by Mutemwija



Series: Pridecember Collection [1]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Awkward Tension, Established Relationship, M/M, Pridecember, Slice of Life, it's basically just them being cute dorks, just like they always are, scenarios change every chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-12-24
Packaged: 2019-03-26 23:45:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 33,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13868553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mutemwija/pseuds/Mutemwija
Summary: This is my collection of the one shots I wrote for Pridecember. The chapters are titled after the prompt of the day. (And yes, I still plan on finishing them :D)





	1. Draw

**Author's Note:**

> The thing with "Draw" was... I didn't get the initial meaning of this and when I did, I was already too fond of my idea to change it. So here you have a short story about Atem and Seto drawing and despite its (probable) distance from the original meaning of the prompt, I hope you like it anyway ^_^

“No, not like that.”

“It’s exactly the same.”

“It’s not! Look at them.”

“They look _exactly_ the same!”

“They _don’t_.”

Seto groaned and rubbed his temple. _Why_ had he agreed on Atem teaching him some hieroglyphs again? He could already read them anyway he didn’t need to know how to draw them, too.

But Atem’s smile was so bright and his eyes so radiant, when Seto agreed to learn some of the ancient characters, he didn’t find the strength to deny him. 

He really had to learn to control the effects Atem had on him and his decision-making, or else he would end up in much worse situations than _this_ one.

"They do!" He shoved the paper in Atem's direction, but as he took a closer look at Seto's drawing, he just flinched a little and Seto only rolled his eyes. "What?"

 “If I had given my scrolls to the teacher like that, he would have sent me to bed with no supper.”

Seto only snorted. “Because yours were so much better the first time, you drew them.”

“Well, I don’t really remember the first time I drew them, but I was the _prince_ , so…”

“So no one would have said something against your skills anyway.” Seto raised an eyebrow at him, while Atem only shrugged.

“Probably not. But still my hieroglyphs never looked like _this._ ” He turned to look at Seto, a mocking gleam in his eyes. “Maybe you’re just a bad student.”

“Maybe you’re just a bad teacher.”

“Well, I don’t know.” Atem returned Seto’s indignant look with a mischievous smirk. “But you could start to call me _sensei._ ”

Seto just barely managed to keep his jaw from dropping. “Really? _Sensei_?”

“Why not?” Atem shrugged again. “It has a nice ring to it, don’t you think? _Atem-sensei_.”

“ _Atem-sensei_.” Seto repeated and noticed how Atem tried to hide the little shudder that runs through him and he raised an eyebrow, smirking mischievously at him. “You like it? When I call you that?”

“Like I said, it has a nice ring to it.” Even though Atem cleared his throat softly before he said that, Seto could still hear the little squeak in his voice and his smirk widened.

“You like it.”

“Well, yeah, you are called _Seto-sama_ all the time. I was called by a name that wasn’t even my own, so…”

Now Seto was the one who had to hide a small shudder. “Don’t call me _Seto-sama_.”

“ _Seto-chan_?”

Now Seto didn’t manage to keep his jaw from dropping and he stared open-mouthed at Atem. The former pharaoh just laughed uncontrollably at his reaction, while Seto watched him in hostile silence and thought about ways to punish him.

“Oh wait, I have an idea!” Atem stopped laughing suddenly and Seto looked threateningly at him as he stood up, made his way over to him and stood behind him.

And just like that, his boiling blood turned cold and he turned his head instinctively, making sure the one standing behind him like that was indeed _Atem._ He fought hard to get rid of the memory, the picture of that particular someone else that had once stood behind him like _that_ , while he learned and studied and fought against his fatigue and fear and anger. He tensed slightly when Atem leaned forward and pressed his chest against Seto’s back, but unlike the person of his childhood, Atem was warm. The touch of his hand, when he put it over Seto’s was a gentle one and the voice so close at his ear was not harsh and vicious, but pleasant and soothing. “Now it should work.”

Seto swallowed the memory down and instead concentrated on the way Atem’s chin rested ever so softly on his shoulder, the way their cheeks brushed. He looked at his hand again, when Atem moved them together to draw a line and he groaned. “Seriously?”

Atem’s chuckle was so close at his ear that Seto had to suppress a shudder. “It’s easier that way.”

“This is ridiculous. I’m not a stupid child.”

Atem put his other hand on Seto’s shoulder and moved their hands to draw another line. “You’re not.”

“Then why are you treating me like one?”

“I don’t.”

“How else would you call this?”

“Helping you.”

“By treating me like a child?”

“By lending you a hand. _Literally._ ”

“I don’t need your helping hand. _Literally.”_

He felt Atem’s grin at his ear and his hand wandered gently down his arm to rest at his elbow, as if he wanted to ease the tension in Seto’s body. “You could just shake me off, you know.”

Seto opened his mouth to respond when he realized that _yes_ he could have done that right away. But why didn’t he? What was wrong with him?

There was a weird feeling in him that made his head heavy and dizzy. It wasn’t the first time Atem was so close to him or touched him, they had been closer and Atem had touched him at other places, too. But somehow this time it was different. He didn’t know what it was or why it was there so suddenly or where it came from. But he couldn’t concentrate on anything else than this sensual feeling Atem’s proximity brought over him.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Atem smiling and when he tore his eyes away from his face again and looked at their still moving hands, he realized that he had already drawn another three characters.

“Are you writing a novel?” His words came out less intimidating and more pressed than he intended, but Atem either didn’t notice or didn’t say anything.

“Just one more.“ The chuckle was at his ear again and this time it reverberated through his whole body. He closed his eyes to preserve it and swore to replace this moment with the memory that haunted him before. He only opened them again when Atem let go of his hand. “Done.”

Taking a look at the result, it took him a moment before the characters revealed their meaning to his eyes. „That…“ He looked at the short text a little longer, confirming his translation. “… is cheesy. “

Atem laughed at that and let go of him, what Seto regretted a little but he made sure to keep his straight, slightly irritated face, when he turned to look at Atem.

“Probably.” Atem looked him directly in the eyes now and Seto didn't dare look away from the intensity of his gaze. “But it’s the truth, Seto.” The words were spoken so softly and confident that Seto had no doubt Atem really meant it.

He glanced back at the paper, the warmth of Atem’s touch still lingered on his hand, back and shoulder and he caught himself tracing the characters they had drawn together with his fingertips.

_Together_.

Seto shook his head about that again. He was perfectly able to draw them on his own he didn’t need Atem’s help like _that_.

But on the other hand… Wasn’t that just as it should be? Them doing things together? In a way it was just like their relationship. It was humble and kinda disastrous when they had first started – or _dared_ – to reveal their feelings for each other. But they had arrived at the same point almost simultaneously and as opposed as Seto was at the beginning he now knew of the benefits of their mutual feelings, of them sharing and working together like that and slowly but surely adjusted to it. They both weren’t exactly talented when it came to establishing and keeping a relationship like that but what could possibly destroy a combination of _both_ of them? This was just another road they were walking down side by side, _together_. And that was just as it should be.

He turned to the paper again and a small smile tugged at his lips.

“ _Seto, beloved by Atem_ , huh.” He read quietly, realizing that it came out as a statement, not as a mocking question and his expression softened a little more. It _was_ cheesy though and something he thought would never exist in his vocabulary except for Mokuba, but it was also the truth, just as Atem had said. He wondered if he’d be able to look him in the eyes one day and say it to his face. He knew that he didn’t _need_ to say it out loud since they both _knew_ it anyway, but… he _wanted_ to. And he _always_ got what he wanted.

He grinned and once again turned back to look at Atem. “Since you are so keen on teaching me to draw hieroglyphs, _Atem-sensei,_ I’m gonna return the favor and teach you some Kanji.”

A moment of silence went by in which Atem just blinked confused at him, but when understanding dawned on him, his eyes lit up and he smiled at him. “That would be great.”


	2. Enemy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote an essay about Ancient Egyptian mythology in school and I know this Myth is/was kinda a thing in the prideshipping fandom (I don't know how or why exactly but I saw something about it once^^) and this was somehow the only thing I came up with. I like this Myth a lot for its sheer craziness and also the fact that you can draw a connection between it and Yugioh. Except the… you know crazy parts.
> 
> So I hope you don't find this too boring and enjoy reading it :)

“I got some snacks.” Seto called over his shoulder and Atem watched his every move as he made his way back to the couch.

It didn’t happen very often that they got to spend an afternoon together and he smiled brightly at Seto when he handed him a small bowl and a teacup. “What’s this?”

“The label said _Tutankhamen-Tea_.” Seto said and sat down next to him with a shrug. “I thought you might like it. And I wanted something fresh, so I bought some lettuce.”

Atem looked between the bowl and Seto, before chuckling softly. “Lettuce, huh?”

Seto squinted and took a sip of his own tea. “What’s so funny about lettuce?”

Still chuckling, Atem took the small bowl in his hands and leaned against Seto. He liked it pretty much, sitting with him on the couch and cuddling like that. It didn’t happen very often unfortunately but he savored every minute he got to spent with Seto in this way. “You really want to know?”

Draping an arm over Atem’s shoulders as casually as possible, Seto shrugged. “I asked, didn’t I?”

“Okay. But you have to promise to listen to the end.”

_That_ got Seto’s attention and his resentment was palpable in his voice. “It’s one of your ancient fairytales, isn’t it?”

“It’s an essential Myth that told the story of Horus and Seth and their battle for the throne of Egypt. It defined that the Pharaoh’s oldest son was to be the next king.”

“Really? You set your nation’s foundation on a _fairytale_?” Seto shook his head. “Some great culture you were.” 

“We were indeed.” Atem decided to ignore the obvious insult to his country and people, since he knew that telling Seto the story would be enough punishment for him. “Anyway…” He cleared his throat in a dramatic manner. “It came to pass in those days that…”

“Are you kidding me?”

Atem snickered at Seto’s unnerved tone of voice. “You asked. Now listen.” He didn’t need to look at him to _know_ that Seto was rolling his eyes. This was already a good start. “It’s actually a quite fascinating story. Horus and Seth both wanted to be Pharaoh after Osiris, but they couldn’t decide of course… You know who they were, right?”

“...”

“They were gods, of course.” He patted Seto’s leg, but his hand was slapped away almost immediately, when Seto groaned and threw his head back. “Osiris is God of the afterlife, of life and death and resurrection. That’s why his skin is green, you know. Green is the color of plants and therefore a symbol for life. Horus, the falcon god, is Osiris’ son and god of the sky and – _spoiler alert_ – kingship. And Seth, well… he is god of the desert, of chaos and war and evil. In short, he is a _real_ bad guy. They might have been nephew and uncle, but they were each other’s biggest enemy.”

“Get to the damn _point_!”

“Yeah…” Atem cleared his throat softly. Sure we wanted to tease Seto, but he got carried away himself when he spoke of these old stories he once believed in. He wondered sometimes how he was able to forget all this and how he could now only look onto them or retell them like something he’d once read and not something he grew up to believe as truths. “Seth had killed Osiris because he wanted to be pharaoh himself, but Horus claimed the throne, too, since he was Osiris’ son. They both brought their right to the throne before the Gods, but they couldn’t decide. So Isis, Horus’ mother, used a ruse on Seth and he kinda… removed himself from the game.”

“A game metaphor? Really?”

Atem nodded in mock pride, still ignoring Seto’s exasperated tone. “But like I said, Seth was the god of evil and therefore wouldn’t give up so fast.”

“That has nothing to do with being evil but with being _ambitious_.” Seto tossed in and sipped at his tea.

Taking a deep breath, Atem continued. “Anyway, he suggested that they both transform themselves into hippos and submerge in the Nile for three months. The one who’d come up first, would lose.”

“He’s quite a gamer your god of evil.”

Atem suppressed a sigh and went on without paying attention to him. “But again, Isis intervened and shot a harpoon down the Nile, but she hit Horus instead of Seth. So she threw another one and hit the right target this time, but Horus was so angry with his mother that he came up and beheaded her.”

“Understandable.”

“Horus fled from the scene, but Seth followed him, gouged his eyes out and told the gods that Horus was dead. Bad for him, Horus had been found in the meantime and his aunt sprinkled his eyes with milk to give him his eyes back.”

“She gave him his eyes back with _milk_?” Seto laughed that maniacal laugh of his. “What kind of _drugs_ did your people consume _exactly_?”

Atem shrugged. “Blue lotuses most of the time, but that’s another story. The thing is…”

“Blue lotuses?”

“You’re awfully interested today.”

“I’m just trying to figure out where the lettuce comes in.”

“Patience.”

 “You’re talking with me, you know that, right?”

“You wanted me to get to the point, now let me get to the point!”

“ _You’re_ delaying the conclusion, not me.”

“Because you keep interrupting me.” Atem groaned heavily. He hadn’t realized when the tables had turned, but he needed to win the upper hand again. “The fight for the throne actually continued for over eighty years, until the gods stopped it and invited Seth and Horus to a large feast. Seth thought this to be his last chance and he wanted to prove that he dominated Horus. So he raped him…”

Seto choked on his tea a little, but didn’t say a word so Atem continued. “But Horus was able to catch Seth’s semen and threw it into the river. Horus knew it was his turn now so he mixed his semen with – here is your _point_ – lettuce!” Atem made a triumphant gesture and Seto chuckled softly. “It was Seth’s favorite food and when he ate it and the other gods found Horus’ semen within him…”

“That was prove that Horus was stronger than Seth and they made him pharaoh.” Seto completed.

Atem nodded, poking at the lettuce in his bowl. “Excactly.”

“He cheated.”

“ _What_?”

“Horus cheated. Seth should have won.”

“Didn’t you listen? Seth was the god of _evil_.”

“That shouldn’t be a reason for him not to claim the throne.”

Atem just groaned and put his bowl of lettuce back on the table, before he slumped into the couch again, exhausted. This was so typical for Seto. “Whatever.”

“But still…” Seto placed his teacup back on the table and turned to look at Atem again, leaning over him slightly. “You didn’t have to tell me all about your stupid fairytales.”

“You asked me.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Seto smirked at him and Atem found himself attracted by the predatory gleam in his eyes. “If you want to suck my dick, you can just ask.”

And just like that Atem’s expression changed from that of a prey to that of a predator and he grabbed Seto’s face to pull him closer to him. “It’s funnier that way.”

“For you, yes.” Atem shuddered at the excitement he felt when Seto’s lips touched his with every word he spoke. “Don’t you dare throw my semen in the river.”

“No.” He smirked and bit Seto’s lower lip hard. „I’ll swallow it all.“

“So you admit that _I’m_ dominating you?”

“ _I_ am the pharaoh.”

“You _were_ the pharaoh.”

“Well...” Atem grinned and pushed Seto back into the couch climbing on his lap. “It doesn’t matter then, does it?”

“We’ll see about that.”


	3. Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah… I'm not really happy with how this turned out but the idea was really cool in my head only when I started writing, it suddenly wasn't anymore. I tried to save it as best I could, but I'm not sure if it worked^^'

“It’s been quite a while since we were summoned like that, right?”

“Yes! It’s been _too long_ if you ask me!”

“Ladies, please. We were not summoned yet, we’re still here. So calm down.” Mahad sighed a little at Mana’s and Kisara’s excitement and tried hard not to let their bright eyes and even brighter smiles infect him too much.

They _were_ right though. It _had_ been too long since their respective masters were dueling against each other like that and he was glad it was happening once again. As much as he tried to hide it, he _was_ excited. He always enjoyed fighting against Kisara and Seto Kaiba the most, but over the years the times were they stood face to face on the battlefield decreased and both of them and Mana regretted that a little. They were happy that Atem and Seto had found something else to entertain themselves with, but for them as their signature monsters it was still a drop of bitterness.

Kisara’s chuckle brought him out of his thoughts. “Mahad, you know Mana for such a long time now, you should know that she doesn’t _do_ calm.”

Mana nodded gushily at him and all but bounced up and down, scolding him a little for his calm appearance. “Exactly!”

Mahad sighed but when he wanted to answer them, Kisara’s body slowly started to lose its solidity and became more and more translucent. She smiled so brightly, it seemed to spread from ear to ear. “It’s happening.”

In the next moment she was gone and Mana laughed. “Aren’t you happy that they’re dueling again?”

“Of course I am.” He smiled and ruffled her hair, what she hated, but he did it anyway – or exactly for that reason. “This has always been their game, their time they shared with us and they trust _us_ the most to achieve their goals. It’s an honor.”

“It’s _fun_!” Mana corrected, still that scolding look in her eyes, but again Mahad wasn’t able to answer her properly, when he started to fade as well. He took a deep breath to ready himself and grinned at Mana, his deadpan finally faltering. She chuckled and her waving hand was the last thing he saw before he closed his eyes.

When he opened them again Dark Magician couldn’t help his excited smile now that he saw Kisara in her dragon form again. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Dark Magician Girl appearing on the field next to him with her usual charming smile, but he only stared right ahead at Blue Eyes, just as Blue Eyes stared back at him. They were just as much each other’s destined opponent as _Yami_ and _Kaiba_ were.

Or… had their feud turned the monsters into that in the first place?

Well, probably.

But every time he stood face to face to them on the battlefield like that, his excitement flared up and he could feel his blood pumping through his veins at breakneck speed. He swung his rod at the dragon, then looked up at its wielder… and froze. He did not look into the blue eyes of Seto Kaiba, but into the violet ones of Atem.

Dark Magician stopped moving altogether. He looked at Atem with wrinkled brows, wondering for a second if the Duel Disk he used had an error but when saw his pharaoh looking back at him with a strange mixture of wonder and disbelief, he knew that his king _knew_ what he was doing. To confirm his suspicion, Dark Magician turned slightly to look at the person who summoned him and froze _again_ , when he saw Seto Kaiba looking down at him with that dueling face of his.

A shiver ran through his spine and luckily brought his muscles out of their stiffness. He turned back to him and shot Atem a disbelieving, reproachful, almost hurt look. All Atem did was shrug his shoulders, the smile still on his face. That really wasn’t the answer his servant wanted. Dark Magician wanted to go back on _his_ side, the side where he belonged. He was Atem’s servant and Atem’s alone; he would only obey his commands and no one else’s. That had always been something he shared with Kisara but now he felt it more than ever before.

So again, he took a deep breath and after a last glance at Dark Magician Girl and Blue Eyes White Dragon, he closed his eyes and started whispering.

“What the…” He heard Kaiba say and felt a little sting when the CEO immediately started to push some buttons on his Duel Disk. He looked up and into Atem’s eyes only to see bewilderment reflected in those violet orbs, but he wouldn’t change his mind. He didn’t know what was going on, if he was dreaming or imagining things, but the last thing he wanted was to fight against _Atem_. He tried telling him that with the look he gave him and when Atem’s features slowly softened and he saw the smallest nod, he solemnly completed the spell he was casting.

Dark Magician became more and more translucent with every passing second and when he was nearly gone, he heard Blue Eyes White Dragon making an aggravated, sad noise. He knew he was betraying his comrades, but Blue Eyes also only fought for _one person_ , so she would understand.

A few seconds after Dark Magician had dissipated completely, the dragon started to as well. Only Dark Magician Girl was still on the field and as the duelists both looked at her expectantly and confused she just laughed and nervously scratched the back of her head as if apologizing for her fellow fighters and herself. She winked at Atem and waved again, then turned and stuck her tongue out to Seto. The next moment she vanished into thin air as well, leaving the soft sound of her giggle and two dumbfounded duelists behind.

When she returned to her human form, she found Mahad and Kisara already absorbed into a heated discussion on what just happened.

“Why did you go?”

“There is _no way in hell_ I’d let myself be wielded by someone else than my pharaoh, let alone by _that_ man.”

“Oh, come on! They’re so cute!”

“That doesn’t mean they have to use us like that.”

“So you admit you find them cute.”

“That’s not the point.” Mahad tried to explain, but there was something in her eyes that made him suspect something else. “Don’t tell me _you_ of all people would have fought for someone else than your precious master, let alone _Atem_.”

Kisara only shrugged. “I like him.”

Mahad’s jaw dropped at the sheer casualness with which the girl spoke. She smiled at him and his anger faded into nothingness, replaced only by a tinge of uneasiness. “But he’s _my_ master!”

“So what? I can’t like him?”

“Again, that’s not the point!”

“Well, what is your point then?”

“This had been _our_ game all the time. The both of us against you and Seto Kaiba and now it’s just… it’s just _gone_.”

She smiled at him, when their eyes locked again. “It isn’t _just a game_ for them anymore, Mahad. I dare say it never was. And now they have finally turned it into something more, into what it should have been for a very long time.”

He stared at her for a moment, considering her words and before finally tearing his eyes away from her intense gaze. “I understand.” He whispered and he really did, kind of at least. “I just… need some time to adjust to that.”

“I think…” She started again and Mahad forced himself to look at her. “They trust each other _so much_ by now that they’d even give _us_ , their most trusted companions in the other’s hand they wanted us to know and to share it with us.”

Mahad stared at her for a while longer, before turning and retreating slowly. “If you say so.”

“I do.” Her smile didn’t falter one bit as she followed him. “You can trust me on that.”

They were both so absorbed in their banter that they didn’t notice Mana standing next to them all the time, watching closely. And as they walked away now, a bright smirk spread on her face, eyes gleaming in realization and she giggled. “Like monster, like man, I suppose.”


	4. Uniform

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is kind of an AU that was inspired by this beautiful gif:  
> http://hellyeskingdomhearts.tumblr.com/post/116519194541/imagine-ur-height-difference-otp  
> I really like how their dynamic turned out in this one and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it :)

Yami groaned and rolled his eyes.

Why was the train in the morning always so crowded? Sure people had to get to work and university and school, but he didn’t understand why they _all_ had to take the same train like him.

With an irritated sigh he squeezed in and looked around for an unoccupied spot, when a particular someone caught his eye.

He had his back turned to him, but Yami could tell it was _him_ anyway. His chestnut brown hair was neatly combed into place, his long fingers held the hand grip above his head with ease and casualness and his uniform played around his body like a tailor-made suit. Everything about him screamed exquisiteness and Yami found himself pushing over to him before he could even think of doing something else.

“Well, well if that isn’t the great _Seto Kaiba_ , condescending to the peasants and taking the train to school.” He greeted his classmate who turned around and eyed him with his typical annoyed look. “What happened to your limo and chauffeur?”

“Nothing you should concern yourself with.” Kaiba said with a false smirk. “I bet you have better things to do than to worry about my chauffeur.”

“Not, if it means I have to see you on the train every day, too. School and Tournaments are already enough time we spent together, don’t you think?”

Kaiba chuckled once. “And still, you walked up to me and said _hi_. It’s almost like you long for my company.”

“Don’t mistake me for one of your fangirls, Kaiba. I have far more to offer than them.”

“Like what?” Kaiba looked him up and down and Yami had to concentrate to not lose himself in the striking intensity of his blue eyed gaze. “Your miniature figure? Your gaudy hairstyle and rakish eyes? Or maybe something even more _impressing_?”

“ _Impressing_?” Yami repeated and raised an eyebrow. “I take that as a compliment.”

“Then I must have said it wrong.”

Yami chuckled at that and grinned at him. “Wit.” He said simply. “And the fact I’m the only one who’s ever beaten you lets you stay awake at night thinking about me.”

“Hm, since you seem to know so much about me, I suspect this statement applies more to you than to me.”  

Now Yami’s laugh was bitter. “In your dreams.”

“More like my nightmares.”

They both stared at each other for a moment and although their faces were blank their eyes spoke volumes. But of course they turned away from each other before they could see these certain emotions reflected in their respective rival’s eyes.

This was just like it always was between them. They were classmates in school, rivals in the dueling arena, constantly bantering and taunting each other over anything they could find. Still Yami could never tell if they were really _friends_ or if he even wanted them too.

If that was _all_ he wanted.

A silence settled over them, that was rather uncomforting for Yami since his mind kept wandering to things, he didn’t know how to interpret. So he just stared out of the window as the landscape passed by. He had this view every day but somehow it was different today. Although he strictly denied that it had anything to do with the man standing next to him and that he had to refrain himself from turning to look at him.

The train jerked a little and Yami only now realized that he wasn’t holding onto anything. He certainly didn’t want to tumble or fall with Seto Kaiba being there, so he reached out to the handle over his head. But even as he got up on his tiptoes, he couldn’t reach it and he groaned for the second time that morning.

What were the constructors of these things even thinking hanging them as high as this? Not everyone was a giant like Kaiba and Yami definitely wasn’t the only one unable to reach them.

He gasped, when the train shook anew and he was barely able to keep his balance.

And then he saw Kaiba grabbing the handle just as casual as he was holding the one on the other side. Yami looked at him a little bugged, saw his indifferent face and the way his arm swung right before his face… and without thinking twice, he grabbed his upper arm and held onto that instead.

Kaiba immediately turned to look angrily at him and Yami could feel Kaiba’s arm muscles tensing and untensing through the layers of his uniform jacket and a small, appreciative smile played around his lips.

“What do you think you’re doing?” His classmate gritted out, but Yami knew that Kaiba just wanted to help him. He wouldn’t dare say it out loud though and Yami wouldn’t call him out on that, too. So he just played along.

“As much as I’d like to strike you down, I don’t think this would be the right place to do so.”

“So you use me as your stabilizer?”

“Well, I don’t want to fall, when the train shakes like that.”

There was a short pause in which Kaiba searched Yami’s eyes and then looked directly into them. “Who says, I wouldn’t catch you if you fell?”

Yami only snorted, his grip on Kaiba’s arm tightening as the train jerked to the next halt.

“You can’t know if you don’t try.” Kaiba insisted after a short pause. Something in his voice let Yami shiver and he had to make sure to keep his own face devoid of any emotions when he stared back into those dark blue orbs.

And suddenly Kaiba leaned closer to Yami. It was almost imperceptibly, but Yami noticed anyway and his breath caught in his throat. He could only stare at him with wide eyes and a slightly open mouth.

What was going on? What were they even talking about? He couldn’t decipher the look on Kaiba’s face, but he could tell that he was serious and he felt heat rising in his cheeks under the other’s unblinking gaze.

In this moment the train stopped and Yami stumbled forward with a surprised gasp, face suddenly pressing against Kaiba’s chest and nose full of his scent. He was so overwhelmed, he just stood there frozen on his spot until he heard _and_ felt Kaiba’s chuckle at his cheek and all but jumped away from him.  

“See, I caught you.” Kaiba said with an honest tone in his voice and all Yami could do was gape at him, as he got out of the train. “Now come on or we’ll be late.”

For a second, Yami thought Kaiba would hold his hand out for him to take it but then he shook both his head and the thought aside and stepped out as well, joining his _friend_ on the platform with a small smile.

“You’re right. Let’s go then.”

They walked side by side to the school, occasionally commenting on their homework or the upcoming tournament, but not about what had happened on the train and Yami was both confused and relieved about it.

They just weren’t like everybody else and that was exactly as it should be.


	5. Angry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much fun writing this and I hope you have just as much reading it! :D

Atem stared at Seto “You did what?”

“Didn’t you listen?”

“Of course I did but…“ Atem began, but stopped and laughed a little instead. “No, it’s okay. This is just who you are…”

Seto frowned. “You have a problem with it?”

“No. I… just think you could have said it differently.”

“I’m not you. And how will they learn if no one tells them?”

“They’ll learn by making their own mistakes.”

“The world is cruel. The sooner they learn the better.”

“That may be true.” Atem shook his head. “But you can’t walk around and tell _little_ _children_ that _they’re a third rate duelist with a forth rate deck_! You’ll traumatize them!” Now that he said it with his own mouth, Atem had to admit that it _was_ rather funny _indeed_ but he still felt some pity for the poor girl who had been bold enough to challenge Seto Kaiba to a duel.

“Tch. They should be proud that _Seto Kaiba_ even spoke to them.”

“Right…” Atem chuckled darkly, but Seto’s glare only became more intense and he sighed heavily. “Why are you angry at me now anyway? I just voiced my opinion, that’s all.”

“Maybe I didn’t want your opinion.”

“Okay…” Now it was Atem’s turn to frown. “Then why did you tell me?”

“Oh, I’m asking myself that already. Don’t worry.

Slowly but surely Atem could feel himself getting angry as well. “Seto, what is your problem? I just said what I thought and you can’t blame me for that.”

There was a pause in which Seto seemed to think about something and then he turned to him again. “What did you mean by _that’s just who I am_?”

“Well that it was typical for you to say something like that. Even if you say it to a little girl.”

“It was the truth.”

Atem nodded gently. “Probably. It was just a little…” Atem searched for the right word but he knew that anything he said now would only increase Seto’s anger, so it didn’t really matter when he said. “ _Insensitive_.”

As expected, Seto all but exploded. “I won’t apologize for who I am!”

“You shouldn’t! And I’m just saying…” Atem took a deep breath in hope to calm down a little but it didn’t really work, so he decided to try another approach. “I’m just saying that this is _exactly_ who you are. You… have a prideful, infuriating, irrepressible attitude. And you’re smug and stubborn and arrogant but...”

“But what?” Seto snapped at him, anger flaring in his voice and eyes. “But that’s bad and I have to change? Or _you’re_ going to change me?”

“No!” Atem screamed at him. “I like you for who you are, you idiot.”

At that Seto only snorted and turned slightly away from him. “You’d be the first one.”

“And would that be so bad?“ When Seto didn’t answer, Atem took small a step closer to him, hand outstretched as if to touch him, but not yet close enough to do so. “You are all the things I just said, but you didn’t let me finish my sentence.” Atem let out the breath he was holding, closed his eyes for a second and then looked Seto directly in the eyes. “All of the things I listed… they were what drew me in the first place. I kinda find it endearing, attractive even – please don't ask me why.” He chuckled and shook his head a little, but never broke the contact between blue and violet orbs. “But everytime I look at you… I see something fascinating, something I want to know more about… and I can't look the other way.”

Seto’s eyes got so wide the blue color almost vanished completely and his mouth hung slightly open in astonishment but he got himself under control again almost immediately and gazed down at Atem with this typical intense glare of his.

They stood like that for a while, neither of them breaking eye contact, neither of them saying a word, until Seto clicked his tongue, grabbed Atem’s still outstretched hand and nodded his head into the direction of his room.

“Want to go to my room and make out…?” He bit his lip and corrected hastily. “ _Make up._ Go to my room and _make up_.”

Atem bit down the grin that threatened to spread on his face. He got a feeling that that had been Seto’s intention from the start when he started this _argument_ , but he didn’t say anything and just put his scowl back in place. “There’s nothing I’d rather do.”


	6. Ice

Seto Kaiba didn't regret anything in his life.

Why should he anyway? The past couldn't be changed and it was a waste for time to think about it.

He was however, slowly but surely regretting that he convinced Atem to get his driver's license.

And that he let him drive his car.

Especially  _now_.

The first snow of the year had turned the landscape into a  _winter wonderland_ , as vernacular put it. The world looked more elegant and neater under the white covers of the snow and the air was fresher and cleaner thanks to cool winds. But at the same time, there was danger hidden behind this beauty. He'd seen people slip and fall on the street the whole day and the icicles hanging from street signs, roofs and trees gave them both a nice decoration and a dangerous weapon. He had a soft spot for winter though, since he liked this particular mixture of beauty and danger – not least because it reminded him of all the… well  _sentiments_  he had towards the man driving his car right now.

But right now as he was sitting in the passenger seat of his car, the world outside passing by in a blur of white and grey and Atem speeding down the road like he was a Formula 1 driver, he couldn't think of anything else but getting home safe and sound.

Don't get him wrong, he wasn't concerned about  _his own_  safety at all, no. He had looked into death's face his whole life and was somewhat used to it. He was scared for the driver.

He had to  _literally_ jump through space  _and_  time to get Atem back and if he'd die in a simple car crash  _now_ … all of his efforts would have been a complete waste of money, time and ambition and he'd definitely have a reason to regret the past  _then_. Those were two things he wanted to prevent at all costs.

Nothing more, nothing less.

"Atem." He began, realizing with a start that he was  _gripping_ hisseat like a scared child and he immediately let go as casual as possible. "It could be slippery."

Atem only sneered and shot him a meaningful look.

That he didn't even bother to answer made Seto even more aggravated. "You know about black ice, don't you?"

Still, Atem said nothing; he just kept on grinning and sped up even more and Seto made a face.

Who would have thought Atem would turn out to be such a speed demon the moment he was able to drive alone. Seto remembered the first times he gave him a ride and how he clung to the seats or handgrip or even the  _doors._ Ever since that one particular incident with a car door he made sure  _all_  doors of the cars he used had child-proof-locks…

It confused him that Atem was so nervous since he'd been in a  _helicopter_  and on  _blimp_  with him already. When he tugged his exhausted body into a blanket on his couch after that incident with the door, he had asked him about it. Atem had only shrugged and stated Yugi as the reason. He said it was because he had shared his mind and body with him at that time and that he had perceived things differently. This had changed when he got his own body of course so that now he was more aware of his surroundings than before. As a pharaoh the fastest he could go was by riding a horse or on a chariot but that was in no way comparable to any of Seto's cars.

Seto had nodded… and had decided that night that he would teach him to drive and make him lose his fear of high speed.

It was a little fly in the ointment though, since Seto really liked to see him all fluttered and nervous.

Although the view of him all fluttered and excited  _right now_  sure had its benefits too.

If only he would slow down a little on a winter day like this.

Then again, he'd probably do the same. They were rather alike when it came to these things.

But still he couldn't help his sharp intake of breath when Atem took the next turn rather  _racy_  and he opened his mouth to scream at him, but Atem talked him over.

"You trust me, don't you Seto?"

"If you mean that I trust you're going to kill us both if you continue driving like that then  _damn yes_ , I do trust you."

"Oh, come on. It's fun."

"I don't like to repeat myself but  _it could be slippery_."

Again Atem shot him this smug look and Seto wanted to tell him to keep his  _damn_  eyes on the road, but Atem was faster once more. "Are you scared?"

Seto snorted. "I thought you knew me better."

"Oh, you want me to drive  _faster_?" He hadn't really finished this sentence, when he stepped on the gas pedal once more and the car all but  _flew_  through the gate to his mansion. It came to a screeching halt right before the entrance door and Atem turned the car off. "Was that fast enough?"

Confused that they had actually managed to reach his mansion unharmed, Seto didn't answer and just shook his head. He didn't know if he was angry at Atem or if he was thrilled. Whatever it was, he swore to put him in his Jet as soon as he could. Revenge was sweet, after all.

With a satisfied grin he got out of the car, stepped forward and… slipped on the ice, fell and tumbled on his butt.

Seto Kaiba wasn't humiliated by anything ever in his life.

Why would he be anyway? He was Seto  _freaking_  Kaiba.

He was, however slowly but surely starting to feel humiliated by the way his small boyfriend hovered over him now, hand outstretched and a smug grin on his face as he said:

"Seto, it could be slippery."


	7. Sweater

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a little nsfw. Enjoy :)

Every time he looked into the mirror after one of these… _encounters_ with Atem, Seto saw something in his own face he couldn’t identify. It was like his eyes were softer somehow with a deeper color and his expression wasn’t as rigid as it normally was. He could even see the faintest of smiles playing around his lips and he didn’t know if all of this was a good sign or a bad one.

He needed time to figure this out and he wanted to do that on his own but he couldn’t stay away from Atem for too long either. It was weird and it annoyed him greatly that he was showing this kind of weakness yet all doubts flew out the window when he had him writhing underneath him, saw the way his violet eyes clouded over with desire and heard the incoherent, beautiful noises he made whenever they were together like that.

Splashing some water in his face and making sure his expression was the same as always, he left the bathroom to join Atem in the living room again, but stopped short when he saw him standing at the windows.  

“Are you _fucking_ kidding me?”

Atem chuckled when he turned around and looked at Seto, he too still a little disheveled. “You don’t like my new sweater?”

Seto rolled his eyes. “I didn’t like it when you gave this thing to _me_ , what makes you think I like it on you?”

Shrugging, Atem walked casually over to him. “ _I_ like it. And since you don’t want it, I thought I’m going to keep it.”

“It isn’t even your size.” A small chuckle made its way over Seto’s lips as he looked at Atem. How he managed to still look as proud and dignified in such a ridiculous piece of clothing was beyond his comprehension. The sweater reached all the way down to his thighs, the sleeves were so long that his hands disappeared in them completely and the design was just plain _horrible_. “It’s ridiculous.”

“It’s not!” Atem protested and pointed to the single patterns. “It has snowmen and Christmas trees with snow and candy canes and _hearts_ and _.._.”

“I have eyes. I can see it.” Seto interrupted him, grabbed Atem by the waist and slumped down in the couch with him. “It’s _absolutely_ _ridiculous_.”

“It’s _absolutely_ not.” Making himself comfortable in his lap and throwing his arms around his neck for the second time that day, Atem smirked at him. He was about to say something more when Seto yanked at his hips to pull him even closer.

He smirked back at him, a mischievous gleam in his eyes as he leaned his head to him and made sure that his breath ghosted over Atem’s lips when he whispered. “Take it off.”

“Hm. You’re always so needy.” With every word Atem spoke their lips touched and Seto felt his desire flaring up again, but he made sure to keep his voice even.

“I am not needy. You’re just wearing ugly clothes.” As if contradicting his own words he trailed his fingers over Atem’s thighs slowly, sensually and a triumphant smirk played around his lips when Atem let his head fall forward. The small distance between them was closed when their foreheads touched and Atem’s eyes fluttered shut. 

“I think I look _gorgeous_.” Atem whispered, before their lips _finally_ touched in that all too exciting way again. Seto really wanted to push him away, tell him how ridiculous he looked, how Christmas was just an industrial ploy to get people to buy useless stuff like this stupid sweater. But the moment their lips touched it was like his brain stopped working altogether. It was _always_ like that and although he’d been irritated and quite nervous the first times it happened, it was now what he craved for every day. It was a moment of feeling alive, of shared confidence and of truce.

It hadn’t been too long since they’d kissed like that but still Atem’s his lips were so soft, his hands on his body felt so good that instead of pushing him away, Seto pulled him even closer, committing himself to the feelings that started to rush through his body again. He liked how Atem’s body felt against his, how they fit together as if they belonged in that way and his arms wound themselves around the smaller body on top of him, hugging him tight and pressing him rather hard against him.

But all of a sudden the melody of _Jingle Bells_ reached his ears and Seto broke their kiss surprised. He stared confused at Atem when he started laughing and backed away from him.

“There is a button here” – Atem pointed to his chest – “and it plays the song when you push it.”

“Are you _kidding_ me?” In the blink of an eye all feelings in Seto vanished and were replaced by pure anger. He tugged at the sweater wildly, causing Atem to laugh even more. “Turn it off!”

“It stops after the first verse!”

“I don’t care! Take it off. Now.”

“No.”

Seto raised an eyebrow and clawed his fingers into the fabric. “Either you take it off _now_ or I’ll rip it into the pathetic seams it was made of.”

“How about a compromise?” Atem grinned at him and raised his arms over his head in a provoking manner, but Seto couldn’t care less and just pulled it over Atem’s head, threw it into the farthest corner of the room and was ready to latch onto Atem again when he saw he was still wearing a shirt.

A _freaking_ Christmas shirt with a Blue Eyes White Dragon wearing a _freaking_ Christmas hat and a text that said _A very bewdy Christmas._

It took Seto a moment to register this _delinquency_ in all its absurdity and then shoved Atem down from him.  

He landed on the carpet with a muffled sound and just laughed and laughed and Seto hovered over him, fists clenched at his side, jaw pressed tightly together and just _furious_.

He would have killed him on the spot, but if things went on like that Seto could watch silently as Atem laughed himself to death and that seemed to be a far more satisfying way.

To his great annoyance though he had to admit that Atem looked quite cute how he lay there on his carpet, clutching his stomach and tearing up because he couldn’t stop laughing and he slowly felt his fists unclenching, his jaw loosening and his anger replacing itself with some kind of weird affection for this boy.

“I hate you.” Seto grunted although he knew that _hate_ felt different. What this contradictory feeling was called exactly he had yet to figure out.

Although _right now_ , he wanted to do something else.

He picked Atem up from the ground, threw him on the couch again and climbed on top of him. “You’re going to pay for this.”  


	8. Tree

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From what I've seen so far the fandom agrees that Atem is a cat nerd and when I thought about how he got his first kitty (I headcanon that he has two, but this is for another prompt, hihi), this little story came to my mind. ^_^

When he received Atem’s call about half an hour ago, Seto knew from the strained tone of his voice and the hasty way he spoke that something was wrong and he didn’t waste a second to leave his office and hurried to get him.

Upon arriving at the park next to the museum Atem was working at he couldn’t see him though and looked around confused. He knew Atem loved walking through this park during his lunch break but he couldn’t think of a reason why he would be here at this late time of day, when he should be _working_ and especially why he called Seto out to join him here.

He turned his positioning system on and was confused when it guided him to the next tree.

“There you are!” He heard Atem’s voice from above and when he looked up he spotted him sitting on a branch in the treetop, waving at him and smiling innocently. “My knight in shining armor has finally arrived to rescue me! What a delight!”

“Haha…” Seto looked up at him and crossed his arms over his chest, making his disapproval visible in that way. “What the hell are you doing up there?”

Atem opened his mouth when Seto saw a little kitty lying in his lap and after the initial pang of jealousy had vanished, he didn’t need an answer to his question anymore and just held up his hand to silence Atem before he could even start to speak. He had seen Atem with cats so many times now, he knew how that usually ended and didn’t need an explanation on how he got up there. “How many times have you tried this now and how many times have you failed?”

“And how many times have you tried to win against me and how many times have _you_ failed?” Atem countered and Seto rolled his eyes.

“Tell me again why I shouldn’t just walk away and let you rot up there?”

Atem raised an eyebrow and continued stroking the kitty’s fur as if he hadn’t done anything else his entire life. “You know the answer yourself.”

Seto just grunted at that, checked the tree once more and started to climb up, while Atem let his feet dangle in the air and smiled affectionately at the cat that had started to purr. Seto glanced up and saw the way she stretched her little head out to Atem’s hand to get more of his caresses and he tried hard not to hate her but he wasn’t sure if that worked. “She seems to like you.” He gritted out and continued his climb.

“I named her _Mana_.” Seto opened his mouth to protest to he knew it was too late when Atem had named her already. He’d always known the day would come when Atem became a cat owner and obviously this day had finally arrived. “I’ve met her for quite some time now, gave her some food and talked to her, you know…” Seto rolled his eyes at that again, but didn’t comment on Atem _talking_ to the cat. Sometimes he didn’t know if Atem wasn’t a cat himself. He sure as hell had a lot in common with them. Last but not least his habit of climbing trees and then being unable to come back down alone. “She always seemed to wait for me, so when she wasn’t here today, when I came out for lunch break and I went looking for her…”

“You spotted her in the tree and decided to help her...”

“But couldn’t come down myself anymore.” Atem finished and Seto made a noise in the back of his throat.

He stopped shortly afterwards though and looked at him confused. “Wait. You’ve been here since lunch break?”

Atem cleared his throat softly and his voice was just a murmur. “It was a late lunch break…” Even from the distance Seto could see the faint darkening of Atem’s cheeks and he raised a mocking eyebrow.

“And your colleagues didn’t come looking for you?”

“There hadn’t been any tours today, so I was assigned to list the new artifacts” He paused a little and the color in his cheeks became more apparent. “They think I’m in the archive…”

Seto chuckled at Atem’s small pout, shook his head and continued climbing up the tree until reached the branch next to Atem. He made sure he stood safe and then nodded to Atem, who gave him a small, relieved smile. Holding onto the kitty as if _she_ would protect him and not the other way round, Atem slid closer to him but Seto frowned when he looked at the both of them.

“I can’t take you both down at once.”

“Oh…” Atem seemed surprised at first, but then his expression changed to something Seto couldn’t identify. He let out a loud sigh, looked at the cat, back at Seto and to the cat again, that meowed softly as he picked her up and held her out to Seto in a theatrical way. “Please safe her, Seto! You’re her last hope.”

Seto blinked at him for a moment and then chuckled. “Are you serious?”

“I am.” Atem said sternly and Seto was almost impressed by his acting skills when he got a little teary-eyed. He handed Seto the kitty and he tugged the small animal under a little protest in the pocket of his coat, glad he could hide his grin that way. Only when he felt Atem’s fingertips at his cheek did he look back into his eyes. “I have just… one last wish.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t…” A dramatic pause. “Don’t forget me, Seto.”

Now he couldn’t hold his laugh back anymore. As if he hadn’t proved already that he was incapable of forgetting him! Still chuckling he leaned up a little and placed a kiss on Atem’s hand. “Never.”

Atem laughed a little, too but he cleared his throat quickly and put his pretend desperate face back into place. “Now go. And don’t look back.”

Seto nodded once, before shaking his head in amusement and then climbed back down, grinning brightly to himself.

When he reached the ground again he freed _Mana_ from his pocket what caused her to meow loudly, and she loyally remained on the spot where he put her even as he turned and started to walk away from the tree altogether.

He didn’t look back _once_ , exactly like Atem had asked him to and just kept walking until his phone rang and Atem screamed at him. “Come back here and get me down, you jerk!”

Seto laughed loudly as he turned around and started to make his way back to the tree.

It was a blast to win against Atem.

Even if it was just a small victory like this one.


	9. Hot

As Seto lay on his back, still panting and trembling a little he felt his eyelids becoming heavier by the second. He was so freaking tired, he just wanted to doze off and get some well deserved sleep but there was no way he could sleep like _this_. He forced his eyes open again and to his slight surprise looked directly in Atem’s smiling face.

“You can sleep if you want. It's not like I'm not tired, too”

He just shook his head and then nodded it down to his soiled stomach, hands and the stains on the sheet. “No chance. This is just too messy for me to sleep in.”

Atem tilted his head to the side and then chuckled. “Well, it's every bit your fault as it's mine.”

“I know…” Was all Seto could say to this. He wasn’t really used to that kind of conversation yet. Granted, this wasn’t the first one they had like that, but it was still somewhat awkward with how content he felt. His first instinct was to flee the scene altogether but the way Atem was lying next to him, a smile on his face and looking just as messy as he did, took his nervousness away a little and he slowly sat up. “I might as well take a shower.”

Atem propped himself up on his elbows, groaning almost like the old soul he was. “Yeah... Sounds like the right thing to do.”

Seto nodded, got up as smooth as he could and waited a moment until he was sure to be steady on his feet, then turned and waited for Atem to get up as well. But the small man just rolled on his stomach and then lied there unmoving until he started to laugh and turned his head to Seto. “Jeez, what did you do to me?!”

Seto couldn’t help the triumphant smirk that spread on his face as he leaned forward, picked Atem up easily and threw him over his shoulder like a potato bag. “It's called sex. And I think I did pretty well.” Instead of answering him verbally, Atem actually spanked his ass and Seto chuckled darkly when he walked into the bathroom. “I take that as a yes.”

He put Atem down slowly, steadied him until he was able to stand alone and then looked at the shower as if it would give him an answer on what to do next. “So... we’re getting in there together?”

“I guess...” Atem still swayed a little when he took a step forward and Seto grinned widely. He really _did_ great obviously. “I’m somewhat confused. You don’t have a shower head in form of the Blue Eyes?”

“The Blue Eyes White Dragon is no water dragon.” Seto shook his head, held out his arm for Atem to take it and they entered the shower together. “Why would I bring her in the shower?

“But a _stream_ can also be of water, right? So why not?”

“It can but in case of the Blue Eyes it’s not. It's a killer attack. Who would get into the shower for a killer attack?”

”Well no one goes into bed for a killer attack, too but I still feel like I got one.” Atem winked at him and Seto couldn’t help but chuckle again.

He grabbed the shower head and pointed it directly at Atem’s head when he turned the hot water on. Surprised, Atem raised his arms to his face, shielding himself from the water and gasping for air while Seto just smirked.

He enjoyed Atem’s struggle against the water for a while, then hung the shower head back into the holder and started to shower himself clean. He let his hands wander over his body and sighed relieved as the pain in his muscles seemed to be washed away too.

He cracked an eye open to look at Atem next to him and was somewhat surprised to see him staring with a slightly open mouth as he followed his every movement almost mesmerized. On any other occasion Seto would have just laughed at his maiden behavior but in this moment his mind and body were flooded with images of Atem writhing and moaning underneath him and the feelings of his hands and kisses on his body that he experienced just minutes ago. He swallowed hard and breathed out to calm himself when he saw Atem’s mouth moving.

“Did you say something?” He asked after leaning his head out of the stream, water dripping from his chin and hair onto his chest.

It took Atem a moment to come out of his trance but then he stepped forward, wrapped his arms around Seto's hips and looked up at him with a soft but slightly mischievous smile. “I just admired you.” Seto blamed the sudden heat in his face on the hot water that ran over him but couldn’t help but lean his head down to touch his forehead against Atem’s. “You’re even more beautiful with all the marks I left all over you.” His smirk was completely mischievous now but it was gone again when he started to trail little kisses from Seto’s chest up to a mark he left on his neck while his hands wandered up his spine. “And for some reason… I can't stay away from you for too long.”

To his surprise Seto didn’t want Atem to stay away from him and to his even greater surprise he actually _said_ _it out loud._ “And I don’t want you to.”

He felt Atem’s smile against his neck and suddenly his hands weren’t at his back anymore but on either side of his face, pulling Seto down to him and kissing him fully on the mouth. Seto caught his lips with his own eagerly and kissed him back just as hard and passionately, his arms wounding themselves around the small body and pressing him against him as close as he could. Slowly Atem’s hands left his face and wandered back to his chest where they rested over his beating heart, thumbs gently stroking his wet skin. These soft caresses were so contradictory to their heated kissing that Seto’s head starting spinning, his body became so hot that the water suddenly felt cold. He could feel his composure slipping away again but held onto it fiercely.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want it; in fact he wanted it _too_ much. Whatever these feelings were that Atem ignited in him had turned into a sort of drug he was already addicted to and he couldn’t help the sigh that left him when their tongues finally danced together.

All he wanted was to keep him like this, to hold him exactly like that, to kiss him until he had to gasp for air and it was in that moment that he came to his decision.

Reluctantly he broke their kiss and turned the water off since he wanted to hear Atem’s voice without any disturbing background noises. He almost latched onto Atem again though when he saw his dark and glazed over eyes but he pulled himself together.

“You know…” his voice was somewhat hoarse and he cleared his throat to mask it. “You won’t have to stay away when… when you spend the night here.”

Atem’s eyes went wide at that and for a agonizingly long moment this was his only reaction but then his face lit up and he smiled softly at Seto. “It would be the first time…” Without taking his eyes off of him, Seto nodded shortly and Atem’s smile widened. “And you would let me sleep in your bed with you?”

He nodded once more, deciding against the sarcastic comment that was already on the tip of his tongue and slowly let go of Atem to step out of the shower. “That’s why I asked, yes.”

“I’d love to.” Taking the towel Seto held out to him Atem stepped beside him and his smile turned impish. “And can we cuddle?”

Seto grunted and raised an eyebrow at him. “Don’t overplay your cards or you will sleep on the floor.”

Atem laughed cheery and Seto watched him closely as he began to dry himself with the towel.

Tonight would be the first night he didn’t have to watch him leave. He knew it would be even harder to do so from this day forward but he was ready to take the risk.

He was ready to trust that Atem would stay with him.


	10. Virtual

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again this didn't turn out like I intended at the beginning. I should stop to involve Dark Magician in these stories. He always kinda takes over…

Every time Atem walked into Kaiba Corp's showroom he couldn't help but marvel at the things he saw there. All of this fascinated him immensely and he often wondered if science was just another, a modern word for  _magic_.

He made his way over to where he had spotted Seto, not without stopping here and there to look at the things on display – Seto had  _forbade_  him to  _touch_  anything and after a certain incident that involved an explosion and a whole week of trying to calm Seto down again, he kept with it – and chuckled softly because Seto was so absorbed in his work that he hadn't even noticed his presence. It was already dark and Seto was alone and Atem's first instinct was to spook him but he decided against it when he was closer. He loved to see Seto so concentrated and so completely gone in his work and the way his eyes were so sharp but shone with devotion at the same time had Atem staring at him whenever he saw him like that.

"How long will you continue to stare at me like that?" He jerked when Seto spoke and felt an embarrassing heat rising in his cheeks. "I know you have a habit of doing that and I won't blame you, but it's still unnerving sometimes."

"If you stop looking like that I will stop staring." That had Seto laughing and he stood up, beckoning Atem closer with a gesture of his hand. He held out a necklace to him and Atem raised an eyebrow as he took it. "That's not really my style in jewelry."

Seto simply ignored his comment. "It's a surprise. The device on it is a very small version of the Duel Disk System. It's the receiver for this" – he held out another small device – "remote control." Atem nodded along to Seto's explanations and watched as he tabbed on the remote for a while before looking back at him expectantly. "When you're ready I'll turn the lights off. There is a sensor in the device around your neck. As soon as it's dark enough for it to notice it starts working."

Atem nodded knowing that he wouldn't get more information out of Seto since this was a surprise and when Seto tabbed on the remote once more the lights slowly started to dim in the room. A blue light blinked on the device around Atem's neck as it got darker and then another, violet light started to glow between Seto and Atem. It took him a while but then Atem recognized the Dark Magician, standing tall and proud like always in the middle of the room, his light giving off a warm welcoming glow that chased the frightening darkness away.

"I thought you'd like to see the Magician first."

"Is this…"

"A nightlight, yes." Seto finished and pointed to the device around Atem's neck. "It wasn't hard to develop. I just had to change a few patterns of the original Duel Disk program. You can choose every monster you want to be your personal guide in the night."

"That's just wonderful." Atem said as he took a closer look at the Dark Magician and couldn't help but chuckle softly at his stern gaze. He looked so real, so alive as if he was breathing and Atem fought the urge to touch him and instead directed his attention back to Seto. "Why did you make them?"

"Why not? Children are scared of the dark, they have nightmares." His shrug seemed indifferent but Atem knew better. Like everything Seto did with so much fervor and devotion it was something that rooted deep within him, it was his way of expressing his feelings and dealing with them. "They'll like it."

Atem smiled at the Magician next to Seto. "Not only them."

As if on cue the Magician stepped forward until he was just mere inches away from Atem then smiled a little and bent down on one knee right in front of him. Atem gasped in surprise and stared down at the hologram perplexed. He didn't know what was going on, but couldn't tear his eyes away from him either. "Did you program him to do that?"

"Not exactly." Seto sounded just as confused as Atem felt and that only increased his uneasiness. "I programmed them to react to their surroundings in a certain way but this is not what I intended." He chuckled a little as he looked the Dark Magician up and down as if searching for a programming error but then he looked at Atem. "Then again, it's the Dark Magician so why are you so surprised?"

Atem nodded absentmindedly and just stared at the Dark Magician as images of a friend flashed through his mind. A friend he'd lost a very long time ago but was still present in his life and loyal like no one else. He just couldn't hold back anymore and reached his hand out to touch him but of course he couldn't get a hold of him and he jerked away, only now realizing that he was indeed _just_ a hologram.

"This is so weird." He whispered softly, look mesmerized between his hand and the hologram. "He'd always done that and even now as hologram he hasn't changed one bit. But he was real once. He was my friend and now… he's just a card." He swallowed and tore his eyes away from his… no, this hologram of the Dark Magician. "They're all just cards now."

There were two small gasps audible in the in the room and Atem had to remind himself again that Seto had  _programmed_  the Magician to react a certain way, but it still didn't feel like it. It was  _so hard_ to look into the holograms hurt eyes and not feel guilty.

But it was Seto's grunt that brought him out of his thoughts. "I never would have expected you of all people to say this."

Atem had to admit that he too wouldn't have thought of saying such a thing too and he didn't know where to look at. Neither Seto nor the Magician seemed to be a good choice so he just fixated his gaze on the darkness behind them. "I'm trying… I want to set them apart from the people I got to know in Memory World."

"From the persons who meant so much to you that your bond with them outlasted time and still exists now? Why?"

"It's just…" Atem sighed and looked at the Magician again. "It's just that they were  _real_. I  _knew_  them as persons, as  _friends_  and sometimes… it's hard to accept that they're all just cards now."

Closing the distance between them, Seto took his face into his hand and tilted his head up to force him to look into his eyes. "I know it's hard for you to accept after meeting them again but they'll still be waiting for you when you come back the next time. So stop saying something like this. You know that's not true. You know they aren't just cards. The cards are their legacies and their souls live on in them." He blinked astonished at Seto's words and was a little relieved when he chuckled softly as if he couldn't believe himself that he said this. "I've decided to let this be the only non-scientific thought I allow myself, so you better don't question its truth."

For a moment Atem just stared into his eyes, amazed that Seto really came to this conclusion after all they went through. He smiles at him, leans up and kisses him on the cheek. "You're right."

"Is that all?" Seto asked and Atem was confused for a second on what Seto might want to hear besides that, but then he saw that particular smirk on Seto's face and he realized this wasn't about words but something far more satisfying.

He leaned up once more and this time kissed Seto on the lips. His arms wound themselves around Seto's hips to pull him closer as they deepened their kiss in that all too familiar yet so beautiful way.

But suddenly there was a sound behind them and the next second Dark Magician hit Seto over the head with his rod.

Atem was somewhat sad that they broke their kiss because of that but he still laughed at Dark Magician's smug grin and Seto's dumbfounded expression. If he got to see this face more often it would definitely come in handy to have a nightlight like this and he decided he liked the hologram a lot for its autonomy and the sheer boldness it displayed.

Just like that friend he had once and that never really stopped watching over him.

The light was reflected in Atem's dark eyes, giving them an almost unreal shine and the way it played around in them was so mesmerizing that Seto was unable to tear his eyes away from him. He was so beautiful and Seto needed all his strength to stop himself from grabbing him and holding him tight to reassure himself that he  _was_  real, that he wasn't just a hologram, just a virtual image like the Magician that knelt before him.


	11. Song

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an AU and kind of a Prideshipping version of „Killing Me Softly" xD I didn't really know what to do for this and had various ideas but this finally came out on top. I hope it turned out all right since I was in a bit of a hurry today. Also the description of Atem's voice comes from the fact that I grew up with a hard crush on Yami's German voice actor lol.

He wasn't particularly fond of music.

He listened to it on the radio because his brother turned it on for breakfast or during shopping when it blared through the stores but he wasn't one of those people who had their earphones on all the time or had shelves of CD's in their homes. It confused him when people said music helped them concentrate because all it ever did was distract him. No matter what music he listened to he always found something in it that annoyed him – lyrics that let his thoughts wander or even run wild and melodies that drew pictures in his mind and brought him to other places. He didn't like to lose the touch to reality like this and thus avoided music as much as he could.

But still he ended up here again. In this awkward bar with its weird people and even weirder live band.

He couldn't even remember why he went in here in the first place. The food wasn't good, the tables were dirty and the live band always played the same song at the end of their program. They were a cover band so much he had learned, not even a pretty good one but there was just something about them that got to him.

Well not  _all of them_  only their lead singer.

He was a young man with spiky tri-colored hair, strange eyes and a slim built. Nothing too special except maybe the hair but for some unexplainable reason he was still captivated by him.

There was just something about his voice that made him listen, something dark and mysterious and alluring, something that transported to another world and the way he ruled the stage like it was his very own kingdom and the audience his subjects, the way he stood up there so regal and grand and proud drew him in to the point where he wasn't able to look anywhere else. Whenever their eyes met it was like they were the only two persons in the room, like they looked into the depths of each other's soul and it was that particular tension and intimacy that had him sit there in the back almost every week staring at the stage and awaiting those violet eyes to lock their gaze with his. Every now and then the singer would smile and the man wondered if he was already imagining things or if those were really directed at him.

It was weird. He couldn't explain any of this and had wanted to stand up and leave more often than he could count but every time an invisible force stopped him from doing so. He was only able to go after the end of the gig when he couldn't see the singer anymore, when the spell he had on him was broken.

That was exactly what he was waiting for right now as the last applause died down and the first people left or went back to their drinks or conversations.

But it didn't happen today.

Today he remained on stage, eyes still fixed on him while his band mates packed their stuff together. The man tried his best to get out of the state he'd been put in but he couldn't escape those piercing eyes. He was barely able to blink but when he had the singer had jumped down from the stage, boldly making his way over to him.

"Thank you." He said and the man immediately noticed the slightly hoarse tone of his voice that enthralled him even more for a reason he didn't want to ponder on too much.

"What for?" He brought out, glad that talking helped him to come out of his trance and he wrinkled his eyebrows.

"You must really like our music when you come here so often." He said nonchalantly and took the seat next to the man, a small smile playing around his lips. "Which would be really surprising since I don't like it myself." He chuckled and to his horror the man was fascinated by him even more.

The man just shrugged and nipped at his drink. "Did you write the song?"

"I did." He nodded and flashed the man one of his smiles again. "I would ask you if you like it but since you come here so often, I assume you do."

Again the man just shrugged. "It's not that good of a song."

At that the singer's jaw dropped and the man was relieved to notice that the spell he had on him slowly began to fade when the other leaned back in his chair, a small pout on his lips. "And yet you're still here."

"And yet I'm still here." He had realized what it was that made him come here so often (or  _who_  to be precise) the moment the singer spoke and sat down next to him and by now he was trying to figure out if this was good or bad.

"Will you at least tell me your name?"

"Kaiba."

There was the smile again. "I'm Yami. Nice to meet you."

Now that Kaiba knew his name some of the puzzling aloofness that surrounded Yami was taken away and he relaxed some more when he felt his wit coming back at last. "May I ask what you want from me?"

Yami smiled somewhat nervously at him. "I wanted to get to know the man that comes so regularly to this bar and drinks his Whiskey and listens to my song and then just leaves without saying  _hello_ once."

"You're keeping an eye on every guest here?"

"Only on those who interest me."

Kaiba had to chuckle and was glad it came out dark and not nervous. "And I do?"

"Since you always stare at me when I perform it was kind of inevitable, so to say." He grinned but Kaiba kept his face straight. "I wondered why someone like you would come to this place so often."

"What do you mean someone like me?"

"Well you seem like the stern, dramatic big shot business man. Like someone who'd build a space station to get a lover back."

Kaiba snorted. "I wouldn't do that."

"That's what I'm trying to figure out." Yami's voice had an honest tone to it and Kaiba looked at him again, curious on what he might find.

They stared at each other for a while and Kaiba noticed that it was really different when they were so close. The tension was so thick by now he could feel it seek into his bones. He couldn't say if he preferred the distance though.

All of sudden though Yami stood up and pulled something out of the back pocket of his leather pants. "I made this before I knew that you don't like our music very much but I still want to give it to you." He handed Kaiba a CD that was labeled with  _Playlist_ in a neat handwriting and Kaiba looked at him confused. "It's some of the songs we play here and some new ones we've written ourselves. You can give them a try if you like."

He opened and closed his mouths a few times but no sound would come out as he continued to stare between Yami and the CD in his hand.

"I know you… won't come for a while because you probably feel like I crossed a boundary or hurt your pride or something, but…" He gave Kaiba a very small smile that almost seemed insecure and those captivating eyes were back on his face again. "But I really hope… you will come once more when you listened to the CD." His smile turned warm and Kaiba looked confused at him, not really knowing what to say and trying to figure out if there was a hidden meaning behind Yami's words.

"Goodbye, Kaiba." Yami said after a while and Kaiba just watched as Yami walked back to the stage and disappeared behind the black curtain.

He stared at the spot for a moment as if expecting Yami to reappear again but when he didn't Kaiba got up, threw some money on the table and left the bar, Yami's CD safely tugged in the pocket of his jacket.

It took him a few days to get to the last song – not because the list was so long it; was rather short actually but because he still didn't like music very much – and when it had finished, he heard Yami's voice speaking in an amused tone: "Just ask me out already, you coward."

For a long moment Kaiba stared baffled and a little shocked at his CD player as if it had just stuck his tongue out at him and hit him over the head to finally get some sense in him.

And then he laughed.

He'd have to go to the bar this evening.


	12. Tear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I asked my friends what I should do about "Tear" and they agreed on the following so blame it on them :D This is a lemon (kinda), so enjoy:D

"So then…" Atem's eyes bore into Seto's with an excited gleam in them. "Let's do this together."

With Atem sitting shirtless on his lap and his fingers stroking the soft skin right under the hem of his pants Seto realizes how hard he has become in the few minutes that have passed since they had decided to do this for the first time. Passion and heat had built up in them and they both knew there was just one way to satisfy both. Seto had been surprised at first since he thought he wasn't the type for this kind of intimacy but then again he was doing this with Atem and Atem had always been the only one who had been able to make him tremble with desire.

"Okay..." He doesn't recognize his own voice anymore, so dark and low and of a strange mix of hesitant determination. Having Atem touch him there makes it hard to breath and for the first time in  _years_  he feels  _nervous_.

But his head is already spinning and his own hands kind of move on their own as they wander around Atem's hips to the zipper of his pants. Swallowing hard and gritting his teeth he opens it slowly, the sound unreal loud in his ears. Atem breathes out relieved and latches onto Seto's mouth again, kissing him passionately though somewhat nervously and Seto pulls him closer when he hears the sound of his own zipper coming undone.

He had torn his Atem's shirt in his haste to get him undressed a few minutes ago but now he gets flustered as Atem starts to pull his pants down.  _His freaking pants._  He's going to be completely naked once he does and barely remembers that the last time someone saw him like that was back in the orphanage. His muscles start to ache suddenly and he asks himself what the hell he is even thinking about while Atem gets him undressed, while he's kissing him like this.

Seto can almost taste the desire on Atem's lips and tries to concentrate on the movement of his lips, his tongue and his hand which by now had removed his pants completely. The heat in his cheeks burns like fire as his slightly trembling hands grip Atem's waist as if they need something to hold onto and keep him from falling. Falling into that sensational pit that makes his head spin and he only realizes that he had stopped breathing the moment he has to break the kiss, panting for air. "I… I'm sorry."

Atem's eyes widen questioningly when he looks at Seto and he moves his hand away from down there and touches it to Seto's cheek. "Are you… alright?"

Seto only manages a small smile and nods shortly. "Don't worry." He takes Atem's hand from his cheek with his own and guides it back down with slightly trembling fingers. "I'm alright."

Atem nods and Seto buries his other hand in Atem's hair to pull him up a little, so he can reach his neck and starts kissing it while still struggling with his breathing.

Seto moans out loud when Atem starts to stroke him slowly and he's a little embarrassed about it him since his mouth is so close to Atem's ears. But he decides to concentrate on the hot body in front of him and continues his kissing, sucking and licking on Atem's neck in between of moans and small struggles for enough air to keep his sanity. The hand that guided Atem's downwards searches for the easiest way into Atem's pants from this position. He wants to know, to  _feel_  how all this affects Atem and he grins when his stroking evokes a moan from Atem, too.

Tilting his head he gives him an open-mouthed, heated kiss and shoves his tongue down his throat to feel and taste more of him, while he pulls his pants down the best he can so he has more space to touch him. Atem moans again when Seto strokes down his whole length, then digs his nails into the taut skin at Seto's shoulder and groans out loud, when he rubs his thumb over the head.

Seeing and hearing Atem like that excites Seto even more and he gets louder with every stroke of Atem's hand, too but he's unable to hear himself and just listens to the sweet noises that escape the boy in front of him. He never thought he'd ever hear his voice like this and he smiles at this beautiful face in front of him.

With some effort Atem thrashes out of his pants completely but before Seto can continue his stroking, Atem presses his hips against Seto's to create new pressure around them, grinding and rocking without rhythm but passion nonetheless, that builds up a strange, hot feeling in his gut he can't describe. His brain finally shuts down when his hips start to move automatically against Atem's and Seto feels like losing himself in this heat and passion.

It is in that moment that he hears Atem call out his name and he breaks their kiss to look at him. All that's left of him is a panting, sweating and groaning mess of his usually so proud and composed self. His violet eyes are dark and glazed over with lust, his cheeks are dark red from the passion and his body is gleaming with sweat and Seto thinks he has never seen anything like this.

"Seto." Atem moans his name again and his eyelids flutter a little. "I... I am..."

"...so beautiful." He finishes his sentence for him, voice so small and hoarse in between his panting, he's not sure if Atem is even able to hear it. But he had said it more to himself anyway.

Seeing Atem like this, a complete mess and hearing his voice which is so used to commanding, calling out his name like that has an impact on him he can't quite understand. It's like his lust suddenly fades and leaves only weariness in its wake. He knows how this works or how it  _should_  work, he knows what he has to do in order to make it good and enjoyable for both of them; he knows all of this in theory. But being here, lying with Atem in that way is a whole different thing. He wants to do this right, perfect even, like everything else he does and at the same time wants to do so much more with him than just kiss and move against him but he's restraint and overwhelmed by what's happening to him. For the first time since his childhood he feels more than he's able to handle. He'd shut most of his emotions and feelings away, especially those who could be used against him, those who could harm him and now it's like Atem's passionate kisses, his affectionate caresses and the addicting sounds he makes open the door of the cage where Seto had locked them away so securely over all these years.

But still he wants to be the only person who ever sees him like this. He doesn't want to share neither Atem nor any little piece of the countless feelings he can see in his dark eyes. He can't say what  _exactly_  Atem feels, but he knows it is immense. It rushes through him like a warm wave, fills voids in his chest and suddenly he feels...  _safe_  and calm and like it's alright to let go and he just  _can't_ believe that it really is. Atem has done so much for and with him but in this moment Seto realizes he isn't ready for the last step yet. He can feel how his eyes start to burn but only when a tear makes its way down his cheek does he understand why.

It's like all the emotions that Atem ignited in him needed another, a foreign way to express themselves. He can feel how the tear leaves a wet streak on his cheek but to his surprise he doesn't mind that Atem sees him like this, stripped from his pride, his invincibility, his power and he lets him see the curious, head-strong, wondering boy he has buried deep down.

Atem had stripped him off his clothes and seen him naked but only now does he really  _see_ him; he had called him  _Seto_  for a few weeks now but only in this moment is  _Kaiba_  really gone and  _Seto_ is there.

He doesn't have words to express all of this now but he knows it's visible in his eyes for Atem anyway and he doesn't need to say them.

Because Atem  _understands_. He's the only one who ever understood.

And it becomes even more clear to Seto when Atem's leans in and kisses the tear away from his face softly before he sits up and takes Seto with him. He doesn't really know how he's able to do this, if Atem was so strong suddenly or Seto so weak, so willing to let himself be gathered in these arms. Atem hugs him tight, with Seto's head over his heart, one of his hands on his back, the other buried in his hair and he whispers. "I got you"

The words reach him and Seto knows it's the truth. Atem has him in so many ways and he just sits there, listens to the sound of his pounding heart for a while to get himself under control again. It's so weird that this embrace feels far more intimate to him than their actions before. He feels like he's melting into it, his arms wind themselves loosely around Atem's hips in an attempt to hug him back and then he lifts his head, so he can look at Atem again. He sees that he shed a tear too and he's surprised at first but then he realizes, it's no surprise at all, is it? They had always walked down the same path after all. Leaning forward he licks the tear of his face, just as Atem did to him only seconds ago and then smiles at him. "You're such a mess."

"I could say the same about you."

Seto makes a sound in the back of his throat, something between a chuckle and an affirmation and his hand comes up to cup his hands around Atem's face. Not having him as close anymore as before makes him a little cold actually. "I'm pretty sure this isn't how sex is supposed to end."

"No…" Atem chuckles nervously and his fingers strokes softly over Seto's shoulders and down to his arms. "It's not."

"We should try another time." Atem nods with a small smile, hands hovering uncertain over Seto's arms until Seto just grabs them and squeezes them a little.

"We definitely should."

They smile at each other and Seto is relieved that that conversation comes easy after their chaotic attempt. There's still some tension in the air and Seto know just what he wants to do with it.

"Atem."

"Yes?"

"Duel me."


	13. Shopping

Every once in a while Atem had his shopping attacks.

It usually happened up to four or five times a year. Not often, sure but when such an attack hit it was like he tried to compensate for all the years he wasn’t able to go shopping.

Nothing was safe, not grocery stores, not drug stores, not jewelers, and most definitely notclothes stores. Shopping somehow brought out a self-destructive streak in him that didn’t even show in the very first games Seto had played against him. It wasn’t unusual for Atem to disappear for half the day too. It was like a therapy for him, strolling through the city or the mall like that and forgetting everything that bothered him for these few hours.

There was however one time he didn’t come home after the shops had closed and Seto began to worry when he received a call from a very confused, very worried sales lady who had just discovered a fainted young man in one of her changing rooms and had found his number as an emergency contact. Turned out this dork had completely forgotten to eat and drink the whole day and had passed out in this cabin, in the middle of all his bags and purchases like the helpless, nerdy child he was deep inside. Seto had come to pick him up –  _literally_  – and hadn’t let him near a store for the next months. Since then Atem was obliged to call or send texts regularly to ensure he was safe and hadn’t passed out somewhere again.

And Atem alwaysbought something for Seto too. Just little things like a tie that matched the color of his eyes or drops in the shape of his Blue Eyes White Dragon – the variety was large. Although Seto didn’t really like the things Atem brought him from his trips, he’d kept everything over the years, however ridiculous it was. It wasn’t that he was particularly nostalgic or sentimental about those kind of things and really it took him quite some time to figure out and admit to himself  _why_  he kept them so safely stored in a box on top of his closet: It was for the sole reason that it was  _Atem_  who gave these things to him. Seto could even draw a connection to every stupid souvenir in this stupid box.

He would never tell Atem this of course and made sure to look as disapproving as he could when he announced his traditional  _after-shopping-fashion-parade_. The small man had come home from a nine hour shopping trip and couldn’t wait to show Seto all he had bought. Judging from the time it had taken him to buy all of this Seto assumed this could take a good while and he mentally prepared himself for the worst.

But when he stepped into the living room with his first new outfit Seto could only stare at him wide-eyed and with an open mouth and Atem grinned. “It’s nice, isn’t it?”

 _Nice_  was a total understatement – Atem looked  _gorgeous_  in these new skintight, dark green pants with a thick, golden lacing at the sides that let enough room to see some of his caramel skin and a matching shirt with color gradient that had the same green color at the bottom and turned into pure gold from the chest onward and made his eyes shine.

He cleared his throat subtly and put on a smug facade. “Looks good on you but I’m sure…”

“If you say it’d look better on the bedroom floor now I swear I will…”

“Put it there immediately?”

Atem’s gaze and voice darkened dangerously. “I have a few more outfits to go and  _only_  if you behave until then can we talk about it.”

Seto only snorted. “We’ve never been good at  _talking_.”

“That’s why you should just shut up and admire my next outfits silently.” He said and then retreated back into their bedroom.

“You should know by now that I never shut up.”  

Atem didn’t respond and just continued with his parade while Seto admitted silently that he really had an eye for these things. His clothes always fit him perfectly. (Although in Seto’s opinion he looked best in nothing at all but that’s another story…). He made sure to never stop his teasing during Atem’s little show but realized too late that he only prolonged it thereby.

So when Atem went back to their bed room for the  _seventh_  time he threw his head back, breathed out heavily and then lied down on the couch completely. What did he even do to deserve this torture?

“Oww, did I wear you out already?” He heard Atem say but didn’t bother to look up and just shrugged his shoulders. “You haven’t even seen the best one yet.”

“If it involves  _clothes_  it can’t be the best outfit you ha…” He stopped abruptly when Atem suddenly stood before him, his hands behind his back and a bright, mischievous smile on his face. He wore a light blue shirt with a dark blue heart on it and the writing  _I love dragons_  with a Blue Eyes White Dragon forming the heart. “What the…”

Atem laughed and knelt beside the couch to be on eyelevel with Seto. “What do you think?”

“I’m not sure…” Seto admitted and took a closer look at the shirt and Atem, at the Blue Eyes surrounded by the blue heart and made a decision. He locked his gaze with Atem’s and pulled him closer at the collar until his breath tickled Atem’s lips. “But you will  _not_  wear this shirt outside of here, you understand me.”

“So you like it?”

“Hm.” Was all he responded to that before he pulled Atem in for a hard kiss on the lips and grinned at him when he let go again after a while. “It’s quite audacious of  _you_  to wear something like this. Don’t you think I should have it?”

Atem only chuckled at that and kissed his cheek before he untangled his hands from his back and held out another shirt right before Seto’s face.

This one was a dark violet color, Dark Magician’s rod printed in the middle with glitter around it and a text that said  _I believe in magic_.

“They match!” Atem exclaimed happily but for the second time that day Seto could only stare open-mouthed at what he saw and this time it wasn’t out of amazement but of pure consternation. Atem couldn’t  _possibly_ be serious! This was so completely  _horrible_ , he wouldn’t even put it in the box. And there were a lot of  _weird_ things in that box.

There was only one way to get rid of this. “Okay, that’s it.” He gritted out as got up from the couch. “I want a divorce.”


	14. Victorian

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't have enough time for this one and I don't like it at all^^; I have to work it over some day... until then, just ignore this one ^_^

"Hey Seto."

"Hm."

"What are you doing?"

"Working."

„Ah."

"..."

"And what are you working on?"

"The improvement of the Duel Link system."

"Ah."

"…"

"Isn't it perfect?"

"I wouldn't be working on it if it was."

"Ah…"

"…"

"But it sure is a great invention."

"Of course it is.  _I_ invented it."

"Ah."

"…"

"Hey Seto."

"Hm."

"When are you done?"

"When it's perfect."

"And when will that be?"

"It'll go faster when you let me work in peace."

"Ah."

"…"

"Hey Seto."

" _What?_ "

"I'm bored."

Seto breathed out heavily and looked up from his computer for the first time since this conversation had started. "Then why are you even here?"

"I wanted to keep you company."

"And my company bores you?"

"Well you aren't exactly  _companionable_ right now."

"That's because I'm working."

"Hm."

"Is your book so boring that you're pestering me instead?"

"I finished it already."

"Then get a new one."

"I don't want to."

"Fine."

"Is that all you have to say to this?"

"I won't look for something to do for you. Look for yourself."

"Tch. You'll end up like the man in the book if you continue like this."

"Are you comparing me to Ebenezer Scrooge?"

"You can't deny the similarities."

"Huh. And what would that make you?"

"I'm the ghosts of course."

"All of them?"

"A little bit of all of them. I mean, I showed you your past so that you accept and appreciate it, made you look at your present decisions and how they'll shape your future if you continue your life without changing something."

"So you changed me?"

"No… and I wouldn't say you actually  _changed_. It's just that you're… more at ease with yourself and your decisions. At least I think so."

"You think so?"

"Yes. And I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be here now if it weren't the truth."

"… Probably not…"

Atem smiled fondly. "See?"

"Although I'm starting to regret that a little since you  _keep me from working_."

Tch. Fine. I'll take ma leave."

"Good."

"I think I'll do some shopping."

"Do what you have to do."

"I'll go buy you some Victorian style suit."

Again Seto sighed and looked up from his computer. "Okay  _why_?"

"Because the book's from 1843, the Victorian Age and I would love to see you in a suit like that. It'd be quite sexy, don't you think?"

"…"

"And maybe a nice corset for myself."

"A… corset?"

"Or a corsage."

"… Okay."

"I'm sure I'll find something that fits to your suit."

"Hey Atem."

"Hm."

"I should be done in at least three hours. "

"I'll be waiting for you then."


	15. Pet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This vaguely connects to my story for Tree but you don't have to read it to understand what's happening in this one. You're welcome to read it anyway though :D

Seto Kaiba wasn't particularly fond of animals.

Legend had it that a puppy died every time he smiled.

If that was true it was a pity that Atem had cats.

There were a few times where he had wanted to try and see what would happen if he smiled at them, but his smiles were actually reserved for two people in this world and he wouldn't waste them on these creatures.

He always knew Atem would become a cat sooner or later and he'd been right when he "saved" that stray from the tree and kept her but by now he had two of these animals and things were starting to get out of hand.

Whenever he saw him interact with his cats Seto couldn't help the pang of jealousy that hit him. It was like Atem couldn't take his hands away from them and they meowed happily and purred loudly whenever he touched them. It was completely and utterly annoying.

Besides, Seto thought them to be quite deceitful. As soon as Atem turned their back on them – which didn't happen  _that_  often – they behaved mischievously.

Mana, which Atem had "rescued" from a tree, was quite playful and clumsy and all in all a little rascal. She always seemed to play hide and seek with him and he had stepped or sat on her more than once. And one time when the bronze-colored kitty got her head stuck in a vase and was left with a neck collar when she tried to free herself from it Atem had laughed himself to tears. Seto hadn't really understand what could possibly be so funny about the destruction of his interior and had to scold both, Atem  _and_ the cat but when she crawled out of another vase only two days later, Seto knew she definitely wouldn't learn and simply decided to buy her a some new toys. And in a strange way Seto even liked her for all the chaos and ruckus she caused.

At least more than Mahad.

_Mahad_.

He  _hated_  that damn tomcat. How he strutted around the apartment, head and tail held high like he was Bastet incarnated (yes, he knew the name of the Egyptian goddess by now, thank you), his amiable gaze every time he looked at Atem and the little tricks he did from time to time had Seto on edge. He'd often lay on his laptop for hours and Seto was sure he  _wanted_  to keep him from working because the self-satisfied way with which the animal stared at him certainly gave him away. But the worst were his silver colored fur and green eyes. If anything his eyes should be  _blue_. Then again no one should even  _dare_ to imitate his Blue Eyes and especially  _not_  this nuisance of a cat. Atem had also laughed at the way Seto and Mahad interacted with each other but this time Seto wasn't so kind to overlook it and asked him what the hell was going on.

After he told him though Seto was just as incredulous about this whole cat thing as before.

Atem had seriously given his pets the names of his childhood friends whose souls were now residing in his favorite cards. At least Seto thought so. Because even if Seto thought this more than awkward at first, the more time he spent with them the more it actually  _made sense_  and he got the feeling their souls weren't in the cards  _only_. Atem had told him a lot about his childhood by now and there surely was a lot of his friends in these cats, he had to admit that. Only silently of course but he did.

Whatever the case may have been, it didn't justify the fact that Atem tended to his cats more than to him. He had spent so much time and effort to get to him and make it possible for them to live like this and had fought himself for this, he felt like he deserved his attention and appreciation far more than those two stupid cats. Nevertheless they were always greeted first when Atem got home – except for the times Seto came in later than him, which he made sure happened more frequently now –, he played with them on the weekends more than he dueled him, he let them snuggle him from both sides so that there was no space left for Seto and he didn't even seem to care about that. It hurt his pride immensely but he wouldn't dare say anything to Atem about that matter.

As time went by however he couldn't hold back anymore. He called Atem out on it when he was playing with his cats _again_  although Seto stood  _right beside him_.

"What's so great in stroking these animals all the time?"

"' _God has made the cat to give man the pleasure of caressing the tiger_.'" Atem quoted and winked at Seto who just gritted his teeth, swallowing a sigh down and instead stared daggers at him.

"And what's so desirable in caressing a tiger when you can have a dragon?"

"I'd have thought dragons don't want to be caressed."

"How can you know when you haven't tried?" Seto shot back and crossed his arms over his chest. "Just because I don't  _purr_  when you touch me doesn't mean I don't want your… touches… at all..." Seto realized too late that he had shot himself in the foot before he had finished his sentence and even before Atem had started to grin at him triumphantly.

"Really?" Atem made puppy eyes at him as he stepped closer and Seto was tempted to smile and see what happened when Atem began to stroke with his hands over his sides slowly. "You won't?"

"No." Seto said as he felt his concentration slipping away when Atem pushed his hands under Seto's shirt to continue his stroking on his bare skin. "I'm not your pet."

"You're not?"

"I am your partner."

"And… as  _my partner_  you are jealous…?"

"I am  _not_  jealous." Atem just raised a mocking eyebrow at him and Seto grabbed his hands to stop his movements. "I miss you." He blurted out and Atem looked at him surprised.

For a moment they both just stared at each other and Atem even seemed as if he'd stopped breathing altogether. Seto took a deep breath, relieved to see that Atem did the same and pulled Atem's hands out from under his shirt. "I felt this once… and I never wanted to feel it again.

It took another moment for Atem to register to full meaning behind his words, but then he nodded and laced their fingers together. "And I don't want you to feel it again."

Seto nodded slowly, feeling his discern on that matter fading a little now that he had actually said it out loud. It was weird to be so open and honest about these things and he could only hope that things would change but he had trusted Atem enough to tell him about it and he would in his words too.

And there was this one particular thing they were both pretty good at and that always seemed to convey their feelings better than words ever could. "You know the new dueling system has been installed at Kaiba Land today. It needs to be tested."

Atem chuckled, grabbed Seto's hand and pulled him to the door. "Then we better hurry."


	16. Crown

Slowly and considerately Atem traced his fingertips over the smooth golden surface. 

His crown was still as bright and beautiful as he remembered. Just the reflection that stared back at him had changed a little, but he couldn’t care less about that.

It had been a long while since he had looked at his old clothes and cape and jewelry he had worn on the day he had decided to go back with Seto. The day he had not only put his eternal rest behind him – he should have known there was nothing like _eternal rest_ when you left someone like _Seto Kaiba_ on the other side anyway – but also went back to the place that had become his home, to the people that were not only his friends but his _family_. And of course to that one person he’d never have thought of ending up in this particular way.

Although _never_ might be the wrong word. There had always been a special tension between them after all, even when they were not dueling. Or rather _especially_ then. He didn’t get to say goodbye to him properly though and he understood his anger at him and his absolute devotion to get his last duel but he never would thought that Seto would really manage to come to his place. He was deeply impressed and approving though when he had appeared in the throne room and Atem had realized what this tension between them _really_ meant.

Nevertheless he was still a little surprised that they actually worked out as well as they did. And that they were actually taking things even further now. He got nervous whenever he thought about it but it was more like a sort of curious anticipation that had him on edge. If his life had gone according to plan he’d had probably ended up with a Nubian princess or a noblewoman of his harem and not an arrogant CEO. Funny or unbelieving as it was for him at the beginning he was now convinced that Seto was the better choice for him. Even if he kept shaking his head at himself.

“What’s so funny?”

Atem jerked and turned around to see Seto standing in the door frame, arms crossed over his chest and looking expectantly at him. He smiled. “Nothing actually.”

He moved to put his belongings back into their hidden place in the closet but Seto grabbed his wrist and stopped him. Kneeling down next to him Seto first looked intently at him without Atem being able to decipher the meaning behind his look, then tore his gaze away and picked up his crown, turning it around in his hands. “I didn’t know you still had it…”

Atem nodded, still not sure what went on in Seto’s head. “I couldn’t separate myself from it somehow.”

“Hm.”  Seto put the crown back into Atem’s hands and he absentmindedly started to stroke over the material again, only waking up from his trance when Seto talked to him again. “You don’t need it anymore.”

“No…” He admitted softly but still hesitated a little before he put the crown back to the rest of his stuff. “But even if I don’t need it anymore these are the only remnants of the person I once was, of the things I left behind. Of course, I turned into someone else over time and gained a lot more for what I lost but it helps me to remember the long way I came before I ended up here.” He said and then couldn’t help but chuckle. “I can’t believe we’re still having the same dispute over past and future after all these years.”

“That’s because you are ridiculously sentimental.”

“Something you can’t be accused of.”

“I would have gotten rid of these things a long time ago.”

Atem nodded slowly not knowing what else to say since he knew somewhere in his heart that Seto was right and he felt his hard gaze on him for while, but then he snatched the crown out of his hands and examined it once more.

“It’s pretty good hand work though. And pure gold I suppose.”

“It is. We… the Ancient Egyptians considered gold to be the flesh of the gods and it was a symbol for eternity and survival.”

Seto nodded, still turning the crown over in his hands. “ So it’d be a waste of good material if you just threw it away.” Atem furrowed his brows and looked questioningly at him. “You could melt it down.”

“ _Melt it down_?”

“You kind of said it yourself – this crown as well as your other stuff is just a relic of a time you don’t live in anymore, a person you aren’t anymore and a past that’s long been over. So why keep it? Melt it down and turn it into something new, something that fits better to your life now.” 

Atem blinked, somewhat astonished but actually taking quite a shine to Seto’s idea. That way he’d literally turn the past into the future and the more he thought about it the more he liked it. “And what should I turn it into? It’s too much gold for rings…”

This time a fleeting smile flew over Seto’s face and he looked just a little flustered. “I’m sure you come up with something.”

Atem leaned closer to him, suddenly feeling a lot lighter as he thought about what to do with all this gold. “A picture frame? Or a  frame for a mirror? A vase? Or a necklace with a pendant on it? I’d say we turn it into a statue of Blue Eyes and Dark Magician but we already have so many of them and Blue’s statue should be silver and not gold. Oh! But we _could_ turn it into a statue of us both. A small one, surely but it’d turn us into gods!”

Seto raised his eyebrows somewhat defiantly but the wicked gleam in his eyes told Atem that he had definitely struck a chord. “Sounds flamboyant.”

“And thus just how you like it.”

Seto smirked. “You’re surely getting the hang of it.”

It was then that Atem had another idea and he could _literally_ feel his eyes gleaming with excitement and he made sure that his gaze was locked with Seto’s before he told him. “I’ll turn it into rings. And handcuffs and beads and a cage and…”

“Are you seriously suggesting to turn your _crown_ into _sex toys_?”

He shrugged and grinned mischievously at Seto. “We’ll see about that.”


	17. Night

There he is.

Sitting on his throne, the puzzle around his neck, an approving, almost impressed smirk on his face as he stands up slowly.

“Atem.”

The pharaoh of Egypt, king of games and the sole personification of his desire.

He realizes this in the very moment the pharaoh appears before him, close enough to touch and feel the warmth radiating from him and for a moment he’s amazed by the sheer nervousness that runs through him. He longs to touch him, he _needs_ to and he stretches his hand out to grab his small wrist and pull him against him. He’s sure this strange ache in his chest will stop once he does.

He stops abruptly when Atem stops too and looks at him, eyes suddenly cold and hard and denying and a shudder runs through him at the change. He watches numbly as he turns around and starts to walk back to his throne as if he wasn’t who he wanted to see here.

“Wait.”

He hears his own voice as if it’s coming from somewhere else, from above him or beneath him he doesn’t know but it’s everywhere, like it’s hunting him. He’s trying and running and _chasing_ after him but he can’t reach him, no matter how fast he runs, how loud he screams he’s always too far, always just that little bit out of reach.

“No.”

He’s not close enough to touch anymore suddenly and Seto steps closer again, repeating the gesture but again he’s too far away. He takes two steps closer to him this time and reaches out both hands to take his face into his hands. He gasps when his hands go through Atem’s body as if it was just mist, not solid and not _real_.

Seto jerked up suddenly and it took a few deep breaths and a shake of his head to come back to reality. The reality of his bedroom in the night, dark and silent except for his own breathing and...

“Seto? What happened?”

_He’s here._

Slowly and preparing himself he turns his head around and a breath leaves him when he looks into Atem’s violet eyes that weren’t cold but full of warmth and concern.

“Just a dream.” He brought out, astonished by how hoarse his voice actually sounds and he pulled the cover over his slightly sweaty body. “Go back to sleep.”

“You called my name.”

“What?”

“You said my name just now in your sleep.” Atem’s gaze on him suddenly didn’t feel so nice anymore but like he was digging holes in his skull. “Did you dream of me?”

“Isn’t it obvious when I called your name?” Seto only needed a short moment to react but it was enough to assure Atem and when leaned up on his elbow a little Seto just shook his head at him. “Don’t.”

He saw Atem swallowing before he laid down on his side again, gaze still fixed on his face and Seto knew this was far from over.

“I actually envy you a little that you still dream.”

Seto snorted and kept his eyes firmly fixed on the ceiling. “You wouldn’t if you knew my dreams.”

“I stopped dreaming when I was a child.” Atem took a deep as if reading himself for a longer speech and Seto looks at him out of the corner of his eyes. “As a child I always dreamt... about my late mother. She died in childbed so I never met her in person. But I dreamt of her, talked to her and spent time with her, imagining her as a beautiful, strong and confident queen. I dreamt of us together, along with my father and the siblings I never had but always wanted, spending our time at the Nile, having a picnic, playing games, away from the palace and our duties as royal family. Those dreams became my addictive shelter...” He paused slightly and Seto turned his head slightly to him. “I never realized that I sleepwalked, too. Until one night we were attacked in my dream. I don’t know from what, I didn’t see anything. But I ran from something dangerous and not only in my dream but in reality as well. I tried not looking back when I was running because I was so scared but I still did and... well the protective arms of my mother I ran into in my dream was actually a stone pillar in the throne room.” He chuckled softly and shook his head a little. “I lay there unconscious until a guard found me and brought me to the doctors. I had a laceration on my forehead, a partially fractured nose, a huge bump at the back of my head from hitting the ground and a concussion... and my tutors wanted to tie me to the bed for the next _three_ years. But overall I was fine.“ His expression turned empty and Seto realized how entranced he was by his narration. “I never dreamt of my mother again though... or anything else. I didn't want to either. I understood that had to let her go and concentrate on real life and that even in my dreams things didn't go as I wanted them to. That I had to make the best of reality.” He shrugged and raised his eyebrows a little “And not run into a pillar again...”

If the situation and the person had another Seto would have laughed and teased him for these confessions of stupidity of a little boy. But he didn’t and couldn't even because he understood and he knew how it felt to wake up into a reality that had turned you into a hardened man. He swallowed hard before slowly putting an arm under Atem's head, the other one across his body and pulled him close to his chest, _snuggling_ him against his body.

His whole body was tense and not because he wasn’t used to snuggling like that but because holding Atem in his arms like that slowly but surely convinced him that he was indeed _here_ and _real._

“I’ve always dreamt a lot…” He started in a low voice as if he wasn’t sure if he really wanted to tell Atem that. But he had told him about his dreams too and he didn’t want to stay behind him like that. “Those dreamt were mostly nightmares though, reined by just a few persons and memories… You appeared only after you had left without telling me. I was so angry that you didn’t even bothered and wanted to leave you behind just like I always did with the past. But you were there, again and again and after some time you were the only one I dreamt about. The more time went by the weirder these dreams became. It was worse while I was working on finding you. You were there… and yet you weren’t. I chased you and was always close enough to touch you but was never able to reach you.” He paused and pulled Atem just a little more closer to him. “I saw you in my dreams every night, just to lose you again every morning.”

He felt Atem’s breath against his chest when he sighed and loosened his arms around him when he leaned up and kissed him rather softly on the lips.

“See?” Freeing one of his hands from between them and touching it to Seto’s cheeks he kissed him once more. “I’m here now. And I’m not going anywhere anymore.”

“I know.” Seto said simply, confused how this affectionate treatment calmed his agitated nerves and he began to feel tired again.

Atem put his hand back after a moment and snuggled up to him again. “Can we stay like this a little longer?”

He snorted softly. Sure, give Atem an inch and he took the whole mile. But this time Seto didn’t care about it at all. “Only if you don’t tell Mokuba or Yugi about it.”

“If that’s your only object…” Atem chuckled, finally putting his arm over Seto waist. “Good night, Seto.”

“Good Night.”


	18. Respect

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a continuation of Uniform but you don’t have to read it before this. You’re welcome to do so anyway of course^^

„Hey.“

Yami started rather awkwardly as he strolled over to Kaiba, nodding goodbye to his other classmates and teacher as they left the room. He hadn’t talked to him yet and a greeting seemed appropriate to start their conversation. Kaiba looked him up and down before he raised his eyebrow in anticipation of whatever Yami wanted to say and Yami had to hold a shudder back. He had other things to concentrate on right now.

“I just wanted to make sure we’re both on the same level. I suppose you’re not convinced our team-up for the next tournament will have our school victorious for the first time in decades since you _hate_ that part of the competition. But we were assigned by lot and since we’re both champions of the individual competition I think the stakes of us winning as a team is very high. So if you’re going to treat me as one of your _subordinates_ then I’m out of this. We’re both equally good at what we do and if we’re able to combine our strengths than there’s no way anyone else can beat us.”

Kaiba hesitated a little seemingly confused by Yami’s objection but then he shrugged. “I know.”

He took a breath and opened his mouth as if he wanted to add something but decided against it and just looked at Yami. He wasn’t _staring_ as usual, just _gazing_ as if he waited for Yami to say something more and Yami felt his concentration slipping away under his blue eyed gaze again.   

The tension surrounding them had always been a solid, a special one but ever since their encounter on the train it had become so thick that it gave him goose bumps whenever they were too close and a headache whenever they were too far apart. The rules had changed between them and Yami had to make an effort to keep his façade and play along. It was stressing him out and he better not thought about what this had already led to three days ago.

Well actually he did think about it _too much_ and he didn’t know what to make of it. It had been awkward to kiss him but _so great_ at the same time and even though he didn’t want them to but his thoughts regularly drifted back to the feeling of his raw lips against his own. He wanted to feel it again and that really didn’t make things easier for him.

Especially when Kaiba looked at him like that.

This was actually the first time they had said more to each other than two words after his kiss in hit-and-run style. Yami thought about addressing this particular topic but his mouth had gone dry and his brain was empty. He couldn’t think of anything clever to say and just watched as Kaiba walked past him and headed to the door.

Yami looked at his back and suddenly felt his heart clench at the sight of Kaiba just leaving this room, of leaving _him._ He had the feeling he’d lose something when he would let him leave the room without saying anything else.

“It’s still weird isn’t it?” Kaiba stopped at that but didn’t turn around just yet and Yami cleared his throat softly in hope to get a hold of himself. “We were fighting against each other all the time and now we have to team up.”

“Didn’t you just say we will win if we fight together?” Kaiba’s voice was low but Yami could clearly hear some suppressed anger. 

“Sure.” Yami said as calmly as he could and both awaited and dreaded the moment Kaiba turned around to look at him. “I’m just curious how it’ll turn out. I mean, this is your first team competition and I wonder if that’s really down your alley.”

Kaiba turned and the ice and anger in his eyes had Yami frozen on his spot. “If you don’t believe your own words, why bother telling me?”

Yami swallowed. “I didn’t mean it that way.” He defended lamely and Kaiba was quick to interrupt him.

“Yes, you did.” He spat and took a step closer to him. “Blaming me is what you always do. But you’re just as much to blame when this goes wrong as I am.”

“I don’t blame you at all I’m just saying…”

“That _I_ will hold you back since I don’t know anything about your precious teamwork.” Kaiba snorted and shook his head. “Would you have preferred to be teamed up with that dweeb?”

Now Yami felt anger rising in him as well and he glared at Kaiba. “Jounouchi is my friend.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that he’s a dweeb.”

“But it _should_ change how you’re talking to _me_ about him.”

Kaiba only laughed condescendingly and despite the anger towards his classmate, Yami felt himself be pulled even closer to him. He rolled his fists and dug his nails into his skin to keep his thoughts from drifting further. “Besides I never said anything like you’re holding me back and I never doubted that you knew about teamwork. But it’ll be the first time for you and you’re always claiming how you don’t need anyone and never let anyone close to you no matter how much they try.”

There was a pause in which Yami realized what he had said and Kaiba just stared at him, various emotions running over his face before they drained and left his gaze empty and open for Yami to decipher. “Maybe I would have made an exception for you.”

Yami couldn’t stop his heart from stumbling a little at those words and needed quite a lot of willpower to keep his façade. It was just like when they were on the train together and Kaiba had suddenly talked about catching him when he fell and he hadn’t known if he really meant what he thought he meant with that. He had wanted to know ever since then and ever since then had he been too nervous, too _afraid_ to ask. But still he _had_ kissed him and they were standing here now. If he didn’t talk out now he wouldn’t be worth to call himself Kaiba’s rival anymore.

So he swallowed thickly and looked directly in Kaiba’s eyes. “Would you?”

Kaiba looked back at him and then actually took another step closer. “What do you think?” He said with a strange tone in his voice.

“I don’t know what I’m thinking.” Yami said truthfully and hold his gaze as Kaiba took yet another step.

“You don’t know me.”

“Because you push me away every time I _try_.” He put extra emphasis on the last word although he knew Kaiba understood him.

“I didn’t push you away three days ago.” A short pause. “Or did I?”

Yami inhaled sharply at those words. So they were really talking about _that_. Sure it had been pretty obvious but to get the confirmation was definitely something else. He shook his head barely noticeable. “You didn’t.”

“Hm.” For a second a small, triumphant smile was visible on Kaiba’s face. “And still you just turned and walked away without saying a word. Is that your definition of respect?”

“I… I wasn’t… I mean _that…_ ”

“ _That_?” Kaiba repeated with a snort and it was only then that Yami realized he was still angry. “You can’t even say that you _kissed me_?” Yami felt heat rising in his face at the way Kaiba almost spat the word and he eyed him defiantly. “Why? Is it embarrassing? Do you feel ashamed? Or regret it even?”

“I just didn’t… “

“Didn’t what? Realize what you did? Think I’d bring it up? Or think that it could mean something for me?”

“I just didn’t think you… _liked_ it that much.”

“Again I didn’t push you away, did I?”

“Well no, but…”

“But what?”

“For goodness sake, Kaiba at least let me finish my sentence when you’re running over me like that.”

Kaiba stared hardly at him for a while before he nodded slowly and Yami sighed. Their little banter had actually eased his nervousness a little. “No, you didn’t push me away but you didn’t hold onto me either, okay. And… just because you didn’t stop me doesn’t ultimately mean you really _wanted_ it. Maybe you were just too surprised to react or didn’t know what to do or…”

“I _always_ know what I’m doing, thank you.”

“Yeah...” Yami couldn’t help his grin at those words but as fast as it had appeared as fast did it disappear again. “But… maybe _I_ didn’t know what I was doing.”

“… So it was a mistake?”

“No!” To his own surprise Yami sounded almost desperate and was speechless for a second when realization hit him like that. He put his hands over his face and groaned out loud although he knew this wouldn’t help him in any way. He took a deep breath and looked at Kaiba again. “It wasn’t a mistake I _kissed_ you, yes and that wasn’t a mistake. It may have been a little hasty and certainly sudden but I’m neither embarrassed nor ashamed and I don’t regret it. I actually think I _never_ will. Regardless of… how this will turn out. I… enjoyed kissing you and I… found myself thinking of doing it again more… often than I can actually remember during the last days.”

“And what stops you from doing it again?”

Yami laughed nervously as Kaiba took the last step to him. “Well I had no idea you wanted to do it again…”

“I _always_ know what I want.” Kaiba brushed his fingertips against his cheek and Yami’s breath hitched in his throat. “Don’t tell me you’re scared?”

“After this conversation? Not anymore.”

“Nervous?”

“Yes…”

“So am I…”

Who made the last move and closed the distance between them Yami had no idea and he couldn’t care less. Kaiba’s lips were back on his just like he had wanted it from the moment he had walked into this room and he wrapped his hands around Kaiba’s neck to pull him further down to him. He cocked his head to the side a little to intensify their kiss and was both surprised and pleased that Kaiba went along with him.

Acting almost simultaneously again they open their mouths and Yami can’t help his low moan when their tongues met in this sensational and passionate way.

He heard something from Kaiba he couldn’t identify and the next thing he knew was that Kaiba had grabbed him by the collar and had slammed him against the wall. All air left Yami’s lungs due to the impact and he breathed in as fast and as deep as he could before Kaiba lifted him up. Almost automatically Yami wrapped his arms and legs around Kaiba’s neck and waist to keep himself in place and pressed against the other’s body.

He fit quite well against him, he realized and then got back to kissing him just like before, hands gripping soft brown strands and tongues dancing more like against than with each other but that was just making it more addicting. Yami gasped again when Kaiba’s hands went under his shirt and he felt the other’s slightly colder hands running over his heated skin. Kaiba’s hands on his body sent small sparks of electricity through him and Yami was close to losing his mind.

The bell rang shrill in his ear and with they parted with a gasp. For a while they just stared wordlessly at each other before Kaiba let him down and Yami pushed his shirt back in his pants with slightly trembling fingers. His skin still burnt where Kaiba had touched him and his lips felt bruised but in a very good way.

“But I’m ready to give this a try.”

Kaiba suddenly said with a hoarse voice had Yami shiver and he needed a moment to remember what they had been talking about before. His breath left him when he finally made the connection.

He blinked and opened his mouth to say something but found himself unable to come up with a reply. That Kaiba was still so close that he could feel his breath on his skin wasn’t helping him in getting his ability to think back either and in a desperate attempt to get his brain to work again he tore his eyes away from this so disheveled yet so _appealing_ face in front of him.

He swallowed thickly, took a deep breath and then tried to find some words again but all he managed to do was nod.

Yami stared at him when he turned as if nothing had happened and realized that must have been how Kaiba had felt when he did that three days ago. Kaiba again headed to the door and Yami had a strange sort of déjà-vu.

“Kaiba!” Yami called out to stop him and Kaiba turned around once more to look at him. “I do respect you. Don’t ever think I don’t.” Kaiba blinked somewhat surprised before he got himself under control again and nodded. “You’re not…” Yami started again as Kaiba reached the door after a few steps. “You’re not taking the train later, are you?”

Yami held his gaze firmly and gave him a small smile which Kaiba returned after a while with a small nod. “I’ll make an exception for you.”


	19. Card

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to mix this prompt with Valentine’s Day lol. I’m not sure if it turned out alright but I’m glad I brought it to paper^^’ Also I apologize in advance for the terrible puns. It got out of hand somehow…

„That’s about all, Sir.“ Isono said and Kaiba relaxed his shoulders a little at the words. The meeting had been rather long due to the upcoming launch of new products and he could feel a headache coming in.

“Good.” He nodded curtly and waited for the man to take his leave but Isono stopped abruptly and pulled something out of the inside pocket of his jacket.

“I almost forgot…” he murmured and handed his boss a dark red envelope. “This was delivered for you earlier.”

Kaiba took it with a frown and barely noticed how Isono left his office while he studied his name on the front that was written in a lean handwriting he would recognize immediately. He couldn’t think of a reason for Atem to send him a _normal_ card and his curiosity was more than sparked.

He couldn’t be sending one because of this pathetic holiday, could he? What was he even thinking?

Without taking the eyes of his name on the front he grabbed his paper knife, opened the envelope and pulled out a card that was just as red as the cover.  

When he saw what it was he blinked astonished at it, not really sure how to react when he saw this ugly and untalented edit of a bunch of random duel monsters on it in stupid poses and weird designs he was so distracted by it that he almost didn’t catch the words _Let’s duel!_ in the left middle of the card. 

His eyes twitched and the faint hammering in his temples increased the longer he looked at it, but nevertheless his heartbeat sped up like it always did when he had the prospect of dueling Atem. When he opened the card though his eyes went wide and he almost dropped the card. There was another text that said _It’s my favorite thing to do_ but Atem had gracefully scratched the little _it’s_ and had written _you’re_ instead so that now it read _You’re my favorite thing to do_.

Seto coughed, blinked then stared at the text some more as if this stupid pun would disappear miraculously when he glared at it long and hard enough. Was he… was he actually being _serious_? Was that really _all_ he wanted to tell him on this day? Granted he didn’t exactly _oppose_ to that sentence and if it would have been delivered under different circumstances maybe he would have appreciated the sentiment but this just seemed so… _cheesy_. Atem definitely spent too much time with his brother and that mutt. It was showing on his wit.

After a deep breath to calm himself down he finally realized his mouth was still hanging open. He closed it almost at the same time when he realized he could use this stupid card and Atem’s mistake to his advantage and his hand reached out to grab his phone like on reflex.

Normally he didn’t call him during work – not that he called him very often in general – but Atem had already disturbed his work flow and pretending that he hadn’t would only make matters worse, so he might as well settle this now. However he told himself that he was calling to rub him his stupid pun, his degenerating mind _and_ his ridiculous mistake in his face and a devilish grin spread over his face when Atem picked up.

“If I had known you were so _eager_ I wouldn’t have waited to send you this card…” He teased playfully and Seto’s grin widened even more. So he really was clueless, huh. “I wouldn’t have thought _Seto Kaiba_ was so easy though.”

“You’re the _easy_ one here. Sending me a card like this… I’m quite disappointed.”

“Ow and I thought this was just right down your alley. First a duel in the streets and then one in the sheets...” Seto could practically _hear_ him wink and _see_ the smirk playing around those appealing lips but he concentrated on his task ahead and shoved the pictures aside. This would be _his_ victory and he would _gladly_ celebrate it to the fullest.

“This isn’t what I meant…” There was a small gasp on the other end of the line but nothing more and Seto smirked to himself. I actually expected such a card yesterday…”

“Why?” Atem asked and the surprised tone in his voice made it clear for Seto that he had won this turn.

“Valentine’s Day was _yesterday_ , not today. You’re a day late.”

“Yesterday was…” Confusion was palpable in his voice and Seto waited with pleasure until realization would finally hit Atem. “… _Valentine’s Day_?”

“That’s what I just said.” Seto leaned back in his chair, eagerly awaiting Atem’s wails of regret and embarrassment, ready to _bath_ and _glory_ in them and make sure he’ll never forget that he did that wrong.

But they never came.

Instead Atem said after a while. “You mean that ridiculous stupidity of a holiday that’s only a marketing campaign of the chocolate and flower industry?” Seto blinked astonished when he heard that and suddenly remembered that those were his _exact_ words when Atem had asked him last year what all this fuss was about. He swallowed as the memory of Atem laughing and shaking his head and basically agreeing to his opinion, promising him to _never_ participate in this.

…

_Fuck._

“Wait, wait, wait.” Atem cut in line of thought, surprise was still in his voice but it was a different kind now and Seto cursed again. “Did you actually think I sent you this as a _Valentine’s Card_?”

“…”

“And were you teasing me because it came a day late?” Kaiba managed a snort but his _No_ still sounded pressed and unconvincing to his own ears and Atem continued mercilessly with his assumptions. “Did you actually _want_ me to send you something for Valenti…”

“No.” Kaiba cut in, his voice this time strong but too hasty to be truly compelling.

Well he was quite shocked himself actually. Just like Atem had said this day always was the embodiment of ridicule to him but somehow, hidden deep inside he had _obviously_ expected Atem to mind that day. Apparently _his_ mind was even more degenerating than Atem’s.

He could hear Atem drawing in a breath and waited for his laughter to erupt through the receiver but again, it never came. Atem just cleared his throat loudly – _too loud_ – and said with suppressed amusement in his voice. “Seto, I bought this card a week or so ago because I thought it was funny.”

“Hm.” Seto brought out and decided to shoot back. Offense _was_ the best defense after all. “Then what did you send it for? You could have just given it to me last weekend.”

There was a short pause as if Atem pondered on what to say and Seto thought he could hear a slight nervousness in his voice when he finally answered. “Would you be very offended if I said I wanted it to be a small gift to cheer up your work day? A token to remind you that… I think about you?”

For a moment Seto was silent, thinking about Atem’s words before he remembered the card’s text and he snorted. “With a pun like that?”

“Yeah…” Atem’s laugh was nervous and Seto knew he had caught him a little again. “I admit that it’s indeed really bad but it’s also the truth, you know. You and dueling are my favorite things to do.”

“Tch. I’m flattered.” Seto said with sarcasm dripping in his voice.

“You should be.”

Seto rolled his eyes and weighed the possibilities in his head before saying in a harsh tone. “I call it a day in about three hours. I pick you up then.”

“For a date?”

“A _duel_.” Seto corrected and resisted the urge to roll his eyes again.

“Come on, Seto! You know as well as I do that with us every date is a duel and every duel is a date. There really is no difference at all.”

He shrugged, fully aware that Atem couldn’t see it as he decided not to answer that. This phone call had only increased his headache and if he wanted to beat Atem later he better be in complete possession of his skills. “You won’t be able to walk when I’m done with you.”

“Don’t be too confident of your victory. I’ll make sure of giving you a hard time.”

“I’m sure you will but this time _you_ will be on your knees.”

“Hm.” There was a small chuckle, a pause and then: “Well, as long as you’re standing behind me I’m okay with that.” Atem said and hung up before Seto had the chance to answer.

With a loud groan Seto hung up as well. He was actually glad that this stupid conversation was over. He had made a complete fool of himself, not only because of this Valentine’s Day mistake and the last exchange and he made a mental note to _never_ call Atem during work ever again.

He took a last glance at the card and decided to put it into his bottom drawer as a grim reminder that cards that weren’t Duel Monsters cards were a complete waste of his time and tell Atem later to refrain from sending one of these one more time.

After all the only cards he and Atem should exchange ought to be Duel Monsters cards.


	20. Snow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story comes in two parts, one is for Pridecember and the other is what happened afterwards. I know Scandalshipping was prohibited during Pridecember but Seth wouldn't leave me alone in this. At first I wanted to screw the rules but it got so long that I decided to split it in half. So I post this as Snow and cut away the part with Seth and post the whole story under the title Snow and Sun as a standalone. You're welcome to read and hopefully enjoy both :)

The snow had been falling relentlessly for hours now. He didn’t know how long he’d been standing here at the window and watched the white flakes cover the world outside in a pristine and sterile blanket.

He was inside, in this huge room and yet he could feel the cold as if the snow was falling right on his body, as if it was covering him, burying him under it. He could feel the frost cracking in his bones but he couldn’t move away either. It was mesmerizing and he felt as if he was glued to the spot. Somewhere in the distance he thought he saw the flicker of a light but otherwise the night was dark. The snow was only illuminated the dim light that fell through the window. His shadow was on the glass as well but it was somewhat blurred and his breath left frost patterns on the window, so beautiful and pure. The exact opposite of him.

He felt alone and forgotten, like he had been in his puzzle until Yugi had solved it.

Just as cold and dark and forgotten.

And lonely.

He reached his hand out and traced the snowflakes with his finger, as if he could predict their fall. But it was a wild, unclear dance, uncoordinated and confusing. The only thing they had all in common was that they ultimately reached a place to lie down, to rest in the company of thousand other flakes until at one day they’d melt and be forgotten again.

“No matter how long you look at it the snow will fall in the same way to earth.”

Kaiba’s voice behind him jerked him out of his thoughts and when he turned he spotted his rival sitting on the sofa, his back to him and cards in his hand as if he was sorting through them for his next duel.

Atem frowned. He couldn’t remember that Kaiba had been here and didn’t hear him come in either. But he _was_ here and Atem felt both, happy and relieved about it. He couldn’t care less about the _when_ and _how_ when he could feel the warmth he emitted from where he was sitting in this large room and he was drawn to him. Fairly he’d always been drawn to him in a way but this time was different. This was another kind of appeal, a deeper sort of affection and it made him nervous.

“Just come here already.” Kaiba groaned and beckoned him closer without turning around.

To say Atem was _a little_ surprised was an understatement but he was sitting next to Kaiba’s side in a heartbeat. Again he didn’t wonder how and when he came here, it was only important that he was closer to him now. The other’s warmth was even more present now and Atem’s heaved a long and deep sigh when he felt the coldness in his bones cracking. It was like Kaiba was thawing him.

They sit like that, in companionable silence for so long that Atem forgets the time completely. He enjoyed having Kaiba so close and for once not throwing wits or attacks at each other. It was and felt so different and new and he wanted more of that.

“For your next duel?” He asked after a while and gestured to the pile of cards on the table that Kaiba had looked through before.

Kaiba nodded. “Our battle isn’t over yet.”

Something about these words let Atem pause and he felt something in the back of his head, a soft tugging but he pushed it down and concentrated all his mind on Kaiba and forced his next words out. “We could always… do something else, you know? Something that doesn’t involve our cards, just… _us_.”

Again Kaiba surprised Atem by actually _putting his cards_ _down_ and slowly setting them all back on the table. Then he turned his body to look Atem straight in the eye. “You’d want that?”

“I wouldn’t have suggested it if I didn’t.”   

“Point taken.”

Atem chuckled. This was weird, talking to Kaiba like that, being so close to him and him being content with that. He had been sure if he so much as breathed that he valued Kaiba as more than just his rival, the other would brick himself in again. But Kaiba still sat in this close proximity to him still focused his blue eyes on Atem’s and the warmth from his body had completely lulled the pharaoh by now.

Their knees were grazing each other, their shoulders too and Atem knew if he’d lean over just an inch, just a little more he could _really_ touch him, he could actually...

“Usually you don’t need so long to make your next move.” Kaiba interrupted his thoughts and moved again, even closer still. “Or do you pass and let me?”

Atem’s heart beats hard and heavy against his rips and he could feel the warmth creeping up in his cheeks. He waited for Kaiba to tease him and he could feel him getting irritated but Atem was too nervous, too surprised by Kaiba’s sudden change in behavior. His rival probably enjoyed to see him like that too. Quite a dilemma he got himself into.

A few times he opened and closed his mouth without saying anything and slowly but surely he became annoyed and irritated with himself. The moment would be over if he waited any longer. He didn’t understand what was happening at all and there was more than one thing off with this but he couldn’t let this go by without acting on it. Not when he had thought about it for so long.

With a low grunt he closed the gap between them and pressed his lips against Kaiba’s, already anticipating that he would be pushed away instantly.

Instead Kaiba pulled him closer, pulled him onto his lap and pressed him close to his body as they shared a soft kiss, almost chaste and shy, like a first try, a humble request for more while waiting for affirmation. Their tongues met in a sensual way and Atem’s hands wandered to Kaiba’s neck and held him in place while his thumbs stroke his cheeks lazily as if to reassure himself that he, that _this_ was real.

He blamed his chilled hands for the lack of feeling under his fingertips.

And then just as sudden as he had responded Kaiba let go of him and Atem needed a moment to open his eyes again to look at his rival again.

“You’re not honest with me.” Atem blinked and moved back a little while Kaiba crossed his arms over his chest and stared expectantly at him. “Tell me what’s going on. Tell me the truth.”

So this was his punishment for not telling him, huh. Fair enough, he had to admit. He should have told him from the beginning, even if Kaiba wouldn’t believe him at least he would have been honest with him then. This thought triggered something in him. He didn’t know what it was, what it was that started to light up in his inside. But he wanted to continue where they just stopped so badly, to go even further that he ignored it and opened his mouth again, willing the words to come over his lips properly this time.

“I uhm… It’s nice to sit here like this, with you by my side.” Kaiba nodded once, uncrossed his arms and traced his hands up his arms sensationally as if to urge him on. “To feel you breathing, your warmth, your smell… I like it.”

Kaiba leaned closer to him again, his breath tickling Atem’s skin with every word. “Is that so, Yugi?”

“Not… Yugi.” Why did Kaiba still call him that? Didn’t he know his name? Hadn’t he told him? He was one of his friends he should know his name, right? He had to tell him, why hadn’t he already? “My name is Atem.”

“Atem…” Kaiba repeated and Atem shivered although he wasn’t cold anymore, he was rather hot really.

He nodded and then pulled Kaiba into another kiss, this one harsher, more passionate than the first one. A soft moan escaped Atem as Kaiba shoved his tongue into his mouth and his hands made their way down his back to rest at his hips. He was so hot suddenly he could barely take it and he broke away abruptly but reluctantly.

“Kaiba…” He was shaking a little when he cupped Kaiba’s face in his hands and put their foreheads together. “I want to spend more time, like this. With you.”

Kaiba’s eyes grew wide for a second before they took on an expression that Atem couldn’t decipher. If anything he looked… sad and Atem felt this pull at his mind again, stronger this time and he realized he didn’t have much time left. When Kaiba suddenly leaned back, Atem felt trapped under his gaze, he was unable to look away, unable to move and unable to hold onto him any longer.

„Why?“ He asked, his voice suddenly distant and harsh, his blue eyes so close to Atem’s pierce through him like an icicle and he has difficulties in finding his voice.

“I… don’t know why. I can’t explain it. I just know that it is like that. It is what I want.” He pressed the words over his lips as fast as he could because he felt like it was about time he said it, as if they could be the last words he’d say to him.

He could feel his consciousness slipping further and further away with every passing second. He tried to grip at it desperately, tried to hold himself together, to stay in Kaiba’s lap but he knew it was futile. And then Kaiba spoke again the world around him shattered to pieces.

“Why didn’t you tell me this when you were alive?”

He stared for just a second and this one second was enough for Kaiba to dissipate right before his eyes. He reached out to him, frantically trying to stop _that_ from happening _again_ , not _again_ but his hands slipped through Kaiba’s head and shoulder without any resistance and then he wass gone and Atem fell into blackness.

He gasps and opens his eyes with a snap to the blinding brightness of the sunlight that floods his royal chamber. It’s so hot here, in contrast to his dream and he longs to go back there, to the cool winter day and snuggle against Kaiba once more.

But it’s not possible.

He’s not with Kaiba, or Yugi or anyone of his friends anymore.

He left through the door without looking back, without really telling them goodbye. He didn’t get to see Kaiba again.

He’s made his decision and he has so live with it now. There was no going back.

He’s dead.

And he had _that_ dream again.

By now he should be used to it, to the feelings it brings him and the overwhelming doubts. But he was far from that. He was losing himself in this dream more and more.

And he found himself wishing it would be real.

Just once.

That he could sit next to Kaiba like that just once and _not_ duel, just talk and… well spend time with him.

And maybe kiss him too.

Not just once, again and again and again until he was out of breath and couldn’t think about doing anything else.

Yeah, that would be something.

Something that would indeed never happen.

 _Why didn’t you tell me this when you were alive?_ Kaiba’s last words still reverberate through him, accusing, infuriated and hurt in their sound but Atem would never know if Kaiba could really sound like that or if it was just a part of his imagination.

But regardless of how much he might have wanted to say anything even remotely close to what he said in his dream… “I couldn’t, could I?” He murmurs as if to reassure himself and a shiver runs down his spine, making him feel just as cold as in his dream. Except this time, Kaiba isn’t there to warm him up.


	21. Present

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had this in my wips for quite some time now and just decided to put the two ideas together for Kaiba’s birthday. And play a little with the prompt title ^_^

After he closed the door as silently as he could he took the few steps over the small porch and sat down on the cold stone. It was still morning, at least he assumed it was. He could never really tell what time it was here exactly. But the sun hadn’t risen to her highest peak and her heat wasn’t as intense as it usually was either.

He pulled his turtleneck over his head, not because he was cold but because he wouldn’t sit in front of Atem’s chamber half-clad. Of course he knew people were talking already but that didn’t mean he should and would give them more reason to gossip.

Then again, he had spent the night _here_ , in _his_ chamber even so people were certainly talking anyway.

Well, he couldn’t care less about their opinions. None of them did matter.

The only person that mattered was on the other side of this world, outside of this realm and he had left him alone the whole night. At least _here_ it was the whole night, he didn’t know how much time had gone by on the other side. He had to go back as fast as he could.

Just… He’d known before that night actually, that someone else mattered to him as well. He wouldn’t have made all his way down here if it was different, surely. It had taken him some visits, some more duels until he had accepted that there was more between them, that he _wanted_ more.

And then yesterday, after he’d passed out and was too weak to go back to his brother they’d… engaged in a passionate duel of a different kind.

It sounded easy, seemed like the natural conclusion to all of this but it wasn’t. Quite the contrary.

No, it made everything even more difficult, put them in a even more desperate situation. Like the road they were walking down had suddenly met a dead end.

All because he’d let his guard down around him this one time.

Granted, Atem had done the same.

And it wasn’t as if he hadn’t enjoyed it. Again, quite the contrary.

He still felt him, his skin still tickled and sounds, whispers and images were still as vibrant, as intense and as clear as the moment they were emitted.

The urge to shut his eyes and shake his head to get rid of it all was hard to suppress but he did it anyway. He, no _they_ had done it now so there was no need to try and forget it. He’d always told him the past didn’t matter anyway. Only the future did and he intended to live on these words.

But for the first time, he didn’t really know how to do that.

A movement in the corner of his eyes suddenly caught his attention and he turned his head on reflex.

There stood a young girl at the end of the courtyard, her long silver-blue hair was almost longer than her shabby dress and she stared at him in astonishment just as Seto stared back at her. She didn’t move for a while, as if she was awestruck. Which happened quite often here, since these petty people couldn’t comprehend his emergence in any way. Normally they stayed away from him, left him alone and only whispered behind his back when he walked by. Not that he cared, he’d just noticed it.

But this girl seemed different.

She was still standing there and looked at him, apparently considering if she should come closer or just leave again and Kaiba simply watched, somehow unable to tear his eyes away from her.

There was something about her that fascinated him and he felt an excited rush in his veins when she shrugged her shoulders and finally walked up to him.

He kept his eyes on her as she came closer, daring her to retreat but her steps got bolder the closer she came.

It was weird the way her eyes seemed to glow as she looked at him. She cleared her throat softly. “Can I sit down?” Despite the fact that she had cleared her throat before opening her mouth, her voice still had a small pitch in it and Kaiba frowned at her.

“How should I know if you _can_?”

It was a usual retort to stupid questions like that but to his surprise he felt a pang of regret jolting through him. She had asked nicely after all, there was no need to be so brusque. Even more surprisingly the girl simply chuckled.

“Oh, I can. Here, I'll show you.” She grinned, that certain, oddly familiar gleam still in her eyes but he still couldn’t pinpoint why it had that effect on him.

She sat down right next to him, a little too close maybe, for his liking. Something radiated off her body now that she sat there with him, so close that he could touch her when he reached out. It wasn’t the addictive, appealing warmth he felt around Atem that he had finally given in to last night and that he could still sense in his core – it was something equally intense and powerful and yet entirely different. 

She looked expectantly at him although Kaiba had no idea why. He didn’t know what she wanted; he didn’t want company and he didn’t want to talk, let alone to a young, impertinent girl.

“My name is Kisara.” She said as if she expected that word would ring a bell. It didn’t, of course and slowly but surely he was getting curious as to what was up with this girl. “I’ve wanted to talk to you for a while actually. But whenever you came here you had only eyes for him.” Her voice had a snarky undertone to it as she nodded her head in the direction of Atem’s chamber.  

Kaiba shrugged. “There’s nothing else here that could possibly interest me.”

“I see…” She seemed crestfallen, if not downhearted and Kaiba wondered why. “Well, of course not... but I thought…”

She stopped midsentence and shook her head with a smile, obviously choosing to keep the rest of her sentence to herself.

Then she fell silent and Kaiba thought she was already done with small talk and would leave him to his pondering again. Although, weirdly, he felt _comfortable_ in her presence, like he had been in her company before, maybe even his whole life. Why didn’t that unsettle him?

“This was the first time you stayed overnight…” It sounded more like a statement than a question and anger began to rise within him after all.

“That is none of your business.”

“No, it just struck me.”

 This girl became more and more peculiar with every word she said and Kaiba felt like she was up to some sort of preaching.

“If you allow…” she stopped and chuckled at the look on Kaiba’s face. He knew it, she was just as predictable as everybody else. “I’m sorry. It’s just that…” She spoke deliberately and slowly, choosing her words with care and Kaiba allowed himself to listen. “You’re always striving for the future, always looking ahead and never back but you are stuck in your time with him. So much so, that you chased him all the way here. For more than just a duel or your revenge. Your relationship with him is far more complicated than that… He’s a creature of the past, while you’re bent on the future… and in the meantime you both forget to live in the present…”

Kaiba side glanced at her, wondering just how she knew all this and why he let her talk so much all the while she just stared ahead to a distant point, as if she was looking at something or someone he couldn’t see.

Then she continued. “But still… you made it this far and I’m sure… you’ll find a way to combine your determination and Atem’s purpose.”

Now he stared openly at her.

What _the hell_ was with this girl?

She had obviously died at a young age and yet she sounded almost as pretentious and smart-aleck as Atem.

Just who was she? Why did she seem so familiar?

He missed something, he knew it.

Speaking of missing… There was one thing, one word about her speech that raised his suspicion. Not because she had used it, but because she had left it out and he wanted to know why.  
“Not... _Pharaoh_ Atem?” He frowned at her and when she turned his head blue eyes locked onto equally blue ones and Kaiba’s breath caught a little. But he swallowed it down. “I mean… everyone else here calls him that, bows and shows him respect whenever he walks by or moves or just breathes. Except you. Why?”

She blinked at him, open confusion in her eyes for a moment before it vanished and was replaced with steadiness and a small, knowing grin. "He’s not _my_ pharaoh. I served another. And my loyalty is his alone. It always was and... always will be." Her glance nearly pierced him and there was something in it that told him he missed the meaning of her words. "... Just as he is loyal to me."  
She gave him this meaningful smile again and for just a moment her eyes flashed with a determination Kaiba had seen so many times before and knew just too well.  
And it was in this moment that Kaiba recognized just who she reminded him of this whole time and he gasped for air.

He had seen Atem’s magician and the girl too but he thought they were the only ones. Never in his wildest imaginations had he thought that his almighty dragon was really…  
She chuckled softly at his wide eyes and slightly open mouth but didn't say anything, just smiled. So, Kaiba opened his mouth.

"You are… my..."

He started but then he heard the door behind them being yanked open and a voice calling out his name desperately.

Kaiba turned to the source of the voice, denying and ignoring the stumbling of his heart at the call as well as the halting of his breath as he saw him.

He thought that after last night he had seen everything, that there couldn't be another surprise, another novelty. But now he stood there with sleepy eyes and messy hair, clad in nothing but a thin blanket that started to slip from his shoulders as he stared back him. He wasn't far, only just a little out of his reach and Kaiba could clearly see the marks he left on him, the irrevocably proof that their union hadn't been a dream. Not this time.

Kisara's chuckle at his side got him out of his thoughts and when he looked back at her she still smiled at him, but differently this time. "Well, I better go now. It was nice... finally talking to you."  
He managed a nod and opened his mouth to say something but she leaned forward and kissed his cheek swiftly. Kaiba jumped at the gesture and was about to be indignant but when he saw the mischievous smirk she threw in Atem's direction and the pharaoh's uncertain glance at the scene before him he couldn't help a small grin of his own. Their wordless exchange amused him and erased the last doubt he had about her identity. 

He watched silently as she got up. "Remember what I told you." She said, then nodded his head at him, turned and walked away as smoothly as she had approached him, her long silver-blue hair swaying behind her life a stream of water. 

Kaiba still couldn't believe it. Who this skinny, beautiful, mild-mannered girl really was.

He was so caught up in watching her that he hadn’t realized that Atem had come closer to him and he jerked a little when the man cleared his throat beside him and took the place Kisara had been sitting in before, blanket now firmly tugged around his shoulders as if trying to hide the traces of their encounter, as if shielding away and raising yet another barrier between them.  
They sat like that for a while, neither saying a word.

"Sorry for interrupting you earlier." He said suddenly and Kaiba all but twitched. "I didn't want to scream like that I just... I thought you were already gone."

Kaiba scoffed. "Don't judge me by your own standards."

"Kaiba..." Atem started and the tone in his voice sounded tired, battle-weary. "That... was something else."  
That almost made him laugh. "Oh, of course it's different when you do it."

"No." Now he sounded infuriated again, with that hint of angriness that let Kaiba tremble every time. "It is different _now_."

He kept silent after that, contemplating if he should look at him or not, if he should touch him or not, what it meant that he longed for it but still kept his desire at bay. He felt adrift but fought to keep afloat in all of this wonderful chaos. 

"Seto..."

And there it was again. His name, so softly spoken with his voice, rolling off his tongue so naturally and casually and Kaiba let out a breath unconsciously. He felt him stiffen beside him and saw him fidgeting with his fingers out of the corner of his eyes. It was obvious, that he was nervous. "I want you to know... I thought about it and I appreciate you coming here, coming for me but as much as I want to, as much as I wish things were different... I can't change them. I am dead, I am here now, where I... where _the dead_ belong and that is why..."

“Don’t you think I _know_ that?” He interrupted him and glared at him. “And yet you still convinced me to stay yesterday. Don’t you _dare_ tell me it was a mistake. Because it wasn’t. And you know it.”

Atem shook his head slowly. “No, I didn’t mean that.”

Kaiba felt his patience fading. He was already stressing him enough when he was lecturing him but this stammering unnerved him even more. “Then _what_?”

He shuffled his feet and when Kaiba _heard_ him swallow he braced himself for what was to come out of his mouth next.

Apparently people had a habit for preaching today…

"Kaiba…” So he used _Kaiba_ again now, huh? Fascinating. “This is the realm of the dead and you are many things but certainly _not_ dead. Not yet, at least. You have your whole life ahead of you, in contrast to me. And yet you keep coming here but, Kaiba… You don't belong here."  
He made a noise in the back of his throat that _could_ have been a laugh if he had tried hard enough. "No, I don't belong here." He agreed and Atem stiffened some more despite the fact he'd said it first. But Kaiba knew he struck a cord with his acceptance. However it wasn't all he had to say to that and he turned his head and looked Atem dead in the eye. "But you don't belong here either."  
Now Atem stared at him in return and Kaiba could watch how annoyance and frustration slowly darkened his expression. “Kaiba…”

"No." was all he needed to say to shut him up. "You _know_ I'm right. So for once in your life, just accept that _I_ am right, and not you."

Atem sighed, but it wasn’t heavily it was, if not defeated then accepting. "Even if that’s the case… it's not that simple..."  
"Isn't it?” He went on, not even thinking of stopping here now. "Well _I_ didn't just sleep with you because I could tell you to fuck off the next morning. I did it because I had made up my mind. I knew it would have consequences, that it wouldn't just be a one-time thing and that it would not… _heal_ my infuriation with you." He stood up, facing Atem from above and for once feeling like he _really_ was above him.   
"I want you, more than for just a fling or a duel. I want all I can get and all you can give and I want you _back_. Literally. And I won't stop looking for a way to achieve that."  
He stopped there, as if suddenly realizing what he had said, how much he had revealed and then stared down at Atem, unwavering, demanding, a sort of questing in his eyes that was only visible for a short moment, and solely for the person in front of him. There was no point in hiding anything anymore anyway.

“Still… I’ve made my choice, Seto.” Ah, it was _Seto_ again now. That meant he was nearly there. “I can’t just go back on it.”

He shook his head. “That wasn’t _your_ choice, it was what you believed _destiny_ _expected_ from you.” Kaiba held his hand out for Atem to take it, and when he did after a while, he pulled him up and close to him. “The next time I come here… I want you to make a choice of your own.”

It took Atem a moment to nod but Kaiba was glad when he did and he nodded in return.

He watched him lean up to him and he leaned down to him as well but stopped right before their lips could touch and instead put his forehead against Atem’s.

“Why?”

“Because it would feel too much like a farewell. And this isn’t one.”

Atem nodded again but they remained like that for a moment more, neither willing to let go of the other so soon.

But Kaiba did, eventually, take a step back and turned away.

He’d walked some distance when he stopped once more and called over his shoulder. “Two more things before I go...”

“Yes?”

“You’ve lived in the past for too long, you should give the present a chance too. And…” He turned his head to look at him, amused by the way he still clutched that blanket and threw him a smirk. Atem caught it and with a mischievous grin of his own let the blanket fall from his shoulders a little. Kaiba laughed and then remembered that he wanted to ask him something. “And would you tell Kisara something from me?

Atem smiled and shook his head. “How about you tell herself when you come back?”

Kaiba grinned at the meaning behind these words and nodded.

“I will.”

 


	22. Christmas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which the dueling is done with sleighs pulled by a three-headed dragon and a thousand Kuriboh’s...

The ice-cold wind whipped around his face, stinging tears blurred his vision and his freezing hands gripped the reins frantically.

He needed to be faster than the wind, faster than the sun coming up before him. If he didn’t make it in time it would all be over. Life as he knew it would seize to exist.

It wasn’t usually like this in the night of the nights, the night he prepared a whole year for. Usually he had enough time to attend every child, to tend to them, even just a small moment. It was the best part of his existence – the waiting children, their from excitement and curiosity wide eyes as they sat with their families or stared out of the window to get a glimpse at him as he flew over them.

But not this year.

This year, the main clock that stopped the time for as long as he flew around earth, delivering presents, magic and hope had suddenly, without any prior warning sign simply resumed ticking.

And thanks to that fact there was barely time to take a breath – or a cookie for that matter. It was just aiming, striking, next and again aiming, striking. One shot off target, one second of hesitation and the plan would fail.

The only advantage was that people might mistake him for a shooting star if he dashed over the sky like that and he preferred to be mistaken for a dying star than for an UFO (which had happened before).

It was unsettling him greatly though. Never, in all those centuries he existed and did this job had the clock ever failed him – it was bound to his magic and the spell was technically impossible to break.

Now, someone had apparently found a way and he did have a very good idea of _who_ that someone was.

He’d definitely need a _very_ hot bath and a very _hot_ chocolate with _double_ caramel flavor when he got home today. _If_ he came home unseen and impeccable as it should be and only _after_ he’d given his new assistant a talking-to.

He was the only one he thought capable of breaking the spell of the main clock…

What was this mad man thinking? Manipulating the procedure like that?

 _How_ in the name of St. Nicholas had he even accomplished that?

Atem had many assistants over the centuries, some respectable, some ambitious, some idle, one even just a little bit too child-friendly but none of them could ever enrage, goad and _fascinate_ him the way Seto Kaiba did.

Prideful, arrogant, bossy, gruff, infatu… no _infuriating_ and aloof to name just a few of his dominant traits. He paced around North Pole as if _he_ owned the place, not Atem, as if _he_ had built it all and organized the most important night for thousands of years now, not Atem. And of course he was seeing improvements every where he looked. On more than enough opportunities he had to keep him and Mahad from kicking each other’s hands in, only to continue to argue with him _himself_. Granted, he was right with his suggestions from time to time but you just didn’t change century old traditions in a heartbeat.

On top of that the guy was ridiculously tall. It was a real pain in the neck that he had to look up at him all the time – _literally_.

But these eyes were the worst. These deep, expressive eyes, blue as the dusky night sky and clear as the ice surrounding them. He’d only barely kept himself from gasping when he’d stepped into the hall this morning, with his blue coat and white fur, looking like a very young, very _handsome_ version of Father Frost.

He was like the forbidden fruit – ensuring misery but too appealing to resist.

And now he’d actually managed to turn _Christmas Eve_ into a life and death race.

Atem was _furious_.

Partly because of the manipulated procedure, mostly because right now Seto with his monstrous dragon was in the damn lead.

Of course this wasn’t a race to determine the winner but a race to escape their discovery.

Still that didn’t mean that Atem didn’t want to win.

It was all very confusing.

He couldn’t recall the last time he had been racing the sky as fast as that, the last time he had felt so incredibly free. By now, the frosty wind burnt in his lungs, forced the tears horizontally out of his eyes and he was sure he’d lose one or two fingers if it continued like that any longer – and if the situation had been a different one he’d be _crowing_ but now he needed to concentrate. 

When and particularly how Seto had managed to fuse his three dragons into one, Atem had no clue. The whole flight over Canada it had been three but when their paths crossed again over Russia it was just one, but with three heads. With Mahad’s help he had been able to multiply his guardian Kuriboh into a number so large, the little balls were darkening the sky before they merged them into one giant body.

The presents were spread over Scandinavia in the blink of an eye and after that all that was left was the racing duel home.

Atem glanced at his side, suppressed a smirk and set spurs so hard he was sure he’d hurt Kuriboh. He would apologize later, now he needed to get home first.

Before the sun rose, needless to say.

If only to soothe his consciousness.

The dragon’s enormous wings cut through the air beside him but Atem kept his eyes straight ahead. If he got distracted _now_ he would definitely loose (against the sun) and he simply didn’t want that. Seto’s ego was already bursting, he didn’t need another boost. 

Gritting his teeth until they gave a cracking sound, Atem mustered the last magic he had in his body, transferred it to Kuriboh and slipped through the barrier around North Pole only by a hairsbreadth earlier than Seto’s dragons.

He heard him curse behind him but ignored the triumphant feeling inside him and concentrated on slowing the sleigh down and landing it safely.

The giddy sense of delight he’d felt in the last minutes vanished the moment the skids touched the ground and all that was left was anger and horror that Seto had _dared_ to touch the main clock and risked not only their exposure but also and furthermost the spoiling of Christmas Eve for generations and decades!  

Seto’s sleigh was still sliding to a halt but Atem had already walked, no _stomped_ over to him, grabbed the reins of this exaggerated, _gorgeous_ beast and pulled harshly at it. “Are you completely mad?”

Slowly and with his head held as high as his loss obviously let him, Seto stepped out of the sleigh. He was completely unperturbed by Atem’s rage and took his hat off with a peace of mind that brought Atem even more to the edge. If he weren’t so tall, he’d probably slam him into the sleigh right here and there but instead had to crane his neck again while Seto towered over him as tall and as proud as ever. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Feign your innocence somewhere else, Seto! The main clock has never failed me until this day and you’re the _only one_ besides me who knows how enough to sabotage it.”

Blue clad shoulders simply shrugged. “So what if I did?! We made it, didn’t we?”

“But at what cost!” Atem gestured to the still dissolving, hard breathing and kind of pale looking Kuriboh’s. He had never summoned so many of them and if it wasn’t for Mahad’s extra magic, he wasn’t sure if he’d even managed it. The poor little fluff balls were completely exhausted while Seto’s dragons still roared majestically, standing their ground as proudly as their wielder.

“I really don’t know why you’re so angry.” Seto grumbled, his blue eyes now flashing with anger as well and Atem watched closely as he forced the next words over his lips. “You won. You should be happy.”

Atem groaned exaggerated. 

_Again with this stupid rivalry._

“I told you so many times that this evening, _this job_ isn’t about being best, or being _first_ , it’s about the _children_. It’s about bringing them happiness. It’s about faith and hope, peace and love. It’s a magical night, where anything can and _shall_ happen.”

“Then why are we stopping the time and hide until it’s all over?”

“We’re not hiding, we’re _surprising_ them. _Secretly_.”

“It’s not a secret when they all know it’s coming.”

“That’s not the point…”

“What is it then? So many children are looking out of their windows, hoping to catch a glimpse of you – _how_ can you say this night is about them, when you don’t even give them a chance to achieve their wish?”

Atem swallowed thickly, hoping Seto wouldn’t notice. 

“It’s just a race against time if we don’t at least slow time down! You saw for yourself how we had to rush because of it. What if something had gone wrong and we’d have had to make a detour…”

“It would have only increased the suspense.”

“And then?”

“Why not make them _aware_ of the magic around them!”

“Because they could have seen us!”

“So what? _Seeing_ is believing. You’ve been hiding for all these centuries and still expect children to believe in you _starry-eyed_ because their parents told them to, because it’s what _kids do_? What if one day they stop? What, if _you_ fade into the dust you were made of then? Is this what you want? You have to give them something to hold onto, something to grasp, a _proof,_ not just an old as the hills, outdated fairytale. _Your life_ depends on _their_ believe!”

Atem narrowed his eyes. “So, you disobey my order because you’re worried about me?”

Seto ignored the sentiment but lowered his voice and glance nonetheless. “I did not disobey your order. On the contrary, I carried your… _our_ task out and mastered it superbly. You know, I did.”

“What did you want then?” He asked tentatively, seeing no reason to question Seto’s work today. It was superb, just like he said (overlooking the manipulating of the main clock of course…) and watched his every movement, the way his fists clenched and unclenched at his side, how his jaw tensed and the reflexive blinking of his eyes as if he dared him to speak his mind. And Atem read him like an open book. “My appreciation… was it that?”

Seto said nothing, just stared at him, stared _down_ at him defying, challenging, _outraged_ that Atem had hit the nail on the head in his very first try.

The smaller man could only sigh. “You don’t need that.”

For just a split second disappointment flashed in Seto’s eyes but it was gone in such a quick way that Atem thought it was just a figment of his imagination and it got replaced with something akin to wrath. “Good to know.”

He was about to push past him, but Atem grabbed his forearm and stopped him, speaking gently and steady.

“You don’t need it because you already _have_ it! Why did you think I chose you as my assistant? Just because I wanted someone to lecture and scream at from dusk till dawn?” He gave a short dismissive laugh, but actually it was partly true since he _enjoyed_ their tiffs and arguments and the wretched fact was that he even found him, _it_ , ( _damn it **it** , get a grip Atem!) _hugely appealing. “I gave you the job because you have so much potential. You’re a real talent, Seto. In all these years, I haven’t seen anyone as studious and hardworking and thoroughly devoted to this task as you. And you take pride in everything you do and you’re absolutely sure of yourself… Just _why_ are you striving for _my_ appraisal so much when your self-esteem is higher than anything I’ve ever known?”

Blue colored eyes lay calmly on him belying the storm that raged behind them.

 _Because I admire you_ his mind screamed but his mouth formed the words “Because you’re the boss and everyone should strive to gain a better position than the one they already have.” instead.

Atem gave the dry, small laugh Seto always longed to hear when they argued. “I feel like I should be worried about my job…”

Seto shrugged as he stared unblinkingly at him. He could feel the cold of his fingers seeping through his thick coat and the wind-induced tears had left smeared traces at his eyes. A small part of him acknowledged this as his fault but since he had won he wouldn’t grant him the satisfaction of caring enough to _worry_.

When Atem finally let go of his arm, he shoved his hands into his pockets and took a small step away from Seto, his eyes not once leaving his. “I admit it was fun to race across the sky like that. Actually I haven’t done that in _ages_ ; it made me feel like a whippersnapper…” He grinned, the use of this word made him feel ancient despite the fact that he didn’t age at all. “But we can’t turn Christmas day into a duel against time. We will work side by side. Are you content with that?”

The fact that he asked, made it seem like he really wanted Seto here, _at his side_ but he wouldn’t believe him so easily and straightened his back. “We’ll see about that.”

Atem opened his mouth to protest but suddenly didn’t feel like arguing anymore.

He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “I suppose so…”

He’d said what he could say, maybe not what he _wanted_ to say, but it was better than nothing, right? It was a start. And despite the look of it now, he was sure Seto would understand sooner or later. After all, he couldn’t blame him for trying to proof himself to him. Even if his methods were a little extreme.

“Anyway, we’ve done our work for the night. Take care of your dragons, get some rest and… take a look at the joy you brought.” The last part was uttered warily since he very much hoped Seto would join him to see how the children reacted to their presents (and the left-behind sweets and drinks) but wasn’t sure if his pride allowed it. He met his gaze once more, smiled gently and nodded once. “You’re dismissed.”

Atem waited for any sign of reaction but Seto just gave a small nod himself and with a heavy sigh, he turned around and walked away slowly.

But really he wanted nothing more than to stay where he was and look at Seto some more.

Groaning inwardly at his own thoughts, he clenched his hands in his pockets.

Why was he being so stupid? They should have a professional relationship, nothing more, nothing less. He knew it and he should act like it.

But damn, it was getting harder each day.

“Actually…” Seto called out and Atem’s heart as well as his footsteps stopped but he didn’t turn around. He didn’t trust himself enough for that at the moment. A moment of silence went by and he thought Seto had changed his mind when he spoke up again. “There’s one present left.”

That sentence brought Atem back from his sentimental feelings at once and reality hit him in the face colder and harsher than the wind in the sky before.

Forgetting a present was a thousandfold worse than the damaged main clock – it meant, somewhere out there was a child waiting and hoping in vain, it meant that he _failed_ , when he was supposed to be _unfailing_ and perfect.

Upon returning, he’d already activated his inner compass and tracking magic to find out just where he had to lead Kuriboh but stopped deadly in his track when his eyes fell on Seto again.

The present that was left, lied in _his_ hand – a small, neatly in purple and gold wrapped package with a ribbon on top. Atem immediately recognized that it wasn’t from his factory, that it was individual and hand-wrapped and his eyes went wide.

“A happy Christmas to you.”

His mouth dropped slightly open and a shudder ran down his spine as Seto handed him the gift, _his gift_ and Atem looked between the package and his assistant as if he expected one or the other to disappear in a cloud of smoke in the next second.

In all these years no one had ever given him a present – occasionally Mahad had given him a bottle of glogg at the end of the year but that was all. And why would anyone give him a present in the first place? It was supposed to be the other way round after all. Delivering presents was the reason for, the sole purpose of his existence.

He’d known from the moment he first laid eyes on him that Seto didn’t give a damn about traditions and rules at all and he had proven as much well enough already but this… this took things to a whole new level.

This showed him that his talent was exceptional and that he should indeed _fear_ for his job but all he felt right now was pride and pure, unbridled joy.

Impatience and nervousness were starting to crawl up in Seto’s mind when Atem just stared at his gift instead of opening it and he stepped from one foot to another, clearing his throat softly. That had Atem looking up at him and he lifted his eyebrows, telling him to hurry up. It was obvious that the man was astonished, perhaps even flattered but that was no excuse to turn into stone.

Finally, Atem laughed apologetically and Seto watched him closely as he unwrapped the package slowly and carefully, obviously enjoying every second of it. Seto could tell from the bright gleam in his eyes that the other was dying from excitement and struggled to maintain his dignity like that, cold, red fingers trembling slightly as they fumbled with the ribbon.

Atem gave the smallest gasp when the paper was finally gone and it was all Seto needed to know that he hit the nail on the head. He noticed him swallow again before he slowly looked up to him and Seto hold his breath.

“I… Where did you…?” Atem stammered, wondering how Seto even knew he’d always wanted to have one of these, he’s never spoken of it to anyone. A small, reasonable part of him hoped it was just a lucky coincidence but he knew that couldn’t be because Santa _always_ chose the right gift. It was the essence of his being.

He cleared his throat to steady his voice but he still sounded a little off. “Thank you. It’s beautiful.”

Seto nodded as if he wanted to say that he already knew that but his eyes had taken on a gentler glow and his smile was a relieved one. As much as Atem liked that look on his face though, he suddenly felt so guilty that he hadn’t thought of getting him something as well.

One of Seto’s dragons roared softly, breaking the spell between them and as Atem watched him caress the shimmering scales of his guardian, he came up with an idea that had his blood boiling already.    

“You know… maybe we could race again some time? Not… on Christmas Eve of all days but the year _does_ have 364 other days, so…”

The smirk Kaiba shot him after these words hit him right in his core. “Prepare to lose.” He deadpanned with a low voice that Atem hadn’t heard him use until now and he shuddered again, this time from excitement.

He laughed to mask it and then smirked at Seto, throwing his words right back at him. “We’ll see about that.”

With that he turned on his heels and strutted away proudly, Seto’s gift safely enclosed in his hands, cold and exertion completely forgotten.

Seto watched him go and allowed himself to look at the other for a moment more before turning away too. He was glad it had worked out that well. Sure, it wasn’t the triumph he initially wanted but another, more amicable, sweeter kind of success. One he appreciated just the same.

And when he turned around once more to get a last look at his retrieving figure, he got the feeling that this was what Atem was talking about the whole time when he lectured him about dreams and hopes and the spirit of Christmas.

This _was_ a magical night, where anything could and _should_ happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I wish you all a very merry Christmas! <3


End file.
